The Road to Corinth Ends
by Tinni93
Summary: RPM - This is my ending to the series. Dillon fights for control when Venjix plans to use him to destroy Corinth once and for all. Will Corinth be saved, or become under Venjix's control? Takes place at the end of "Control-Alt-Delete".
1. Hard News to Take

**The Road to Corinth Ends**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in any way, shape or form.**

**(Dillon's POV)**

"Using the control key on the attack-bot was the right choice." I heard Doctor K tell me from that horrible black chair. She ran a light scanner up and down my body trying to find out more about this Venjix Virus. But that was the last thing on my mind at the moment. All I cared about was the fact that I had my sister right in front of me, and watched her being taken away yet again.

"Didn't help my sister much, did it?" I snapped back at her. I couldn't even bring myself to look at her, or Summer who was standing right next to me. I just stared blankly at the ceiling above.

"There's still time for that." Summer told me, trying to ease my mind. I felt her stroke my shoulder in a calming manner. For a split second I felt at ease. But what Doctor K told me next wiped that all away.

"Actually, there isn't much time." she began, glancing at my scan results. It was easy to tell that whatever was on that screen, wasn't good. After a moment of silence of her trying to think of the right way to word things, she looked to Summer and myself. "The Venjix Virus has spread to over 40% of your body." she continued, with remorse in her voice.

I just closed my eyes and swallowed hard. I didn't want what I was really feeling to come through. Nobody would be able to handle that, not my team, not Summer. No one. Doctor K knew how I felt about her and her involvement in the Venjix Virus, and I could tell that she blamed herself party for this, and truthfully, so did I.

"By my calculations, when the number hits fifty, you'll begin to lose control to Venjix." she went on, then answered my next question before I could even ask it. "I can't stop it."

Doctor K could tell from the look on Summer and my faces, that she needed to leave. She just looked at Summer and nodded, then turning out of the room.

The next thing I saw was Summer looking down at me. Like she was looking for some sort of answer for all of this. Needless to say, I didn't have one.

"Lose control to Venjix." I repeated out loud, those words playing over and over in my mind. I felt nothing more than a puppet for someone to control. I had no life of my own, waiting everyday for something to come and take what life I _did _have away from me. The last time I lost control to Venjix, my team risked everything restraining me to keep Corinth safe. What if they can't restrain me when it happens again?

"Are you okay?" Summer asked me. I could tell that she thought it was a pointless question to ask, but it was like she had to fill this awful silence with something--anything. But truth was, I didn't know the answer myself. All I could muster up was an unconvincing nod. "Doctor K will find a cure." she told me. "She had a hand in creating the Venjix Virus, so she's bound to find a cure for it. There's an answer out there somewhere." she said, desperately trying to reach for something to ease my mind.

I hated hearing the fear in her voice. I always wanted to keep her safe from anything that ailed her, but now was a time I couldn't. "What if she can't?" I asked, bitterly filling the air.

"Don't say things like that." she said, sitting down next to me. I wish I had the faith she did.

"It's the truth." I snapped again, still not brining myself to look at anything but that damn ceiling. "Venjix is going to take control of me and use me to get to you and the others." I stated, my voice growing louder. I rose from that chair and ripped the wires from my head. As I began to storm off, I felt Summer grab my arm.

"I know you. You'll fight this." she said, saddened by my lack of confidence. She wanted so bad to try and calm me, but she and I knew she was getting nowhere.

"I have been, Summer!" I shouted at her. I hated myself for taking out my frustrations on her, but I couldn't stop. "Everyday. Every _single_ day I feel it taking over me a little bit more!" I felt myself coming down from my outburst. "And it keeps getting harder." I sighed, Summer looking to me with sad eyes. "Can you imagine what it's like…to lose control of yourself and not remembering it? Not what you've done, or who you've hurt?" As I began to leave, I turned back to Summer once more. "I_ am_ fighting, Summer. I'm just getting tired."

Summer knew that I had no hard feelings towards her, I just flew off the handle. Maybe it was the virus making me feel this way, maybe not. I felt so alone. Even though I had Summer and my team standing by me, but it wasn't enough to keep me from losing myself. The powerful twinges in my head kept calling me into the darkness, pretty soon I wouldn't be able to stop myself from hurting the ones I cared about. Even my sister.

I wanted nothing more than to save her from being Venjix's pawn, and if I could do anything before becoming one myself, it would be to save her from him.

"Hey. I'm in this with you." Summer assured me, stroking my arm once more.

"Why?" I asked her. I could tell she was thrown by my question. Moments passed before she finally found the right words to answer.

"Why?" She repeated. "Because I--" Before she could finish, she was cut off by the garage alarms going off. It was another attack-bot coming at the worst of times. The next thing she and I saw was Scott and the rest of the team whipping by us to get to their vehicles.

"Shield breach in the city square." Scott told us as he ran by.

Summer and I remained in place for a moment, wanting to say everything that we wanted to each other, until her heard Scott yell.

"Come on! We've got to move!!" he ordered us from behind the wheel of his red pride and joy.

Summer just looked at me for a moment. Her eyes were telling my 'Don't give up'. She ran to her bike, placing her helmet on her head and waiting for me to join the team. I ran to my car, where I saw Ziggy waiting in the passenger's seat for me. I climbed in and slammed the door.

"Whoa…" he said, surprised at my angry demeanor. "Is everything okay?" he asked me.

But I didn't answer. I just threw my car in drive and speed off with the others. I could feel him staring at me.


	2. Back to the Battlefield

**(Dillon's POV)**

Typical attack-bot. Wanting nothing more than to destroy us and Corinth. It was nothing of my interest. What concerned me at the moment was who was with the attack-bot. Tenaya. She looked nothing like she did a few days ago. The softness in her face had faded into nothing more than a cold stare. We were so close to having one another back in each other's lives, only to have it ripped from beneath us.

She wanted to fight me. Like something inside her craved to. She seemed so drawn to me, not like she was before. Venjix had totally changed her programming, totally erasing any love she used to have for me. She was just a puppet now, where no amount of love could get through to her. I knew it was only a matter of time before I ended up this way as well.

Before I knew it, she was darting at me, throwing punches at me so fast that I was barely able to deflect them. The only clear thought in my head at the moment was 'Don't her her'. She fought me so fast and brutally. I strove to keep up, but to no avail.

"Tenaya!" I screamed as I continued to dodge her punches coming at my face. "You have to stop this! You're my sister!" When she heard my words, she halted for a moment.

"I am Tenaya 15. Human Infiltration Attack-bot. Venjix is my master and you must be destroyed." she said in a highly electronic voice. There was no warmness in her voice like there once was. And before I knew it, she was throwing more punches at me. She was relentless in wanting me gone. I looked in her face to see if there was anything of my sister--but there wasn't. Only…emptiness.

"But you don't have to work for Venjix!" I screamed at her. "You could come back to the Garage and be a family with me and the rangers! We're all each other has!"

"I have what I need--Venjix." she told me simply.

"What about this?" I asked, my voice softening. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocket watch. I slid my key into the slot, the sad melody began to play. I looked to her to see if it was getting to her in any way--but it wasn't.

"Human trinkets mean nothing to me." she said with disinterest. This watch was nothing more than a piece of metal to her. Then, in one swift motion, she smacked the watch from my hands. I watched it roll to the ground. I didn't care. I just wanted my sister back.

"Tenaya…please." I said, almost pleading to her at this point. She was silent. I didn't know what she was going to do next.

She just glared at me. She looked so angry with me, she wanted nothing to do with anything other than Venjix. My eyes widened when I saw her rising her two gun-like fingers and aiming them at me. Before I knew it, she fired it. I tried to flip out of it's range, but the blast hit me anyways. I fell face down on the cold concrete, unable to move a muscle. But to be honest, I didn't want to. Maybe things would work out for everyone if she annihilated me right here. As I saw her begin to fire again, I saw six colorful figures jump in front of me in my defense. The rangers all had their weapons drawn, ready to parry her shots at any given moment.

"Leave now, Tenaya!" Scott warned her, his Nitro Blaster drawn like the others. "Don't make us fire!"

"Don't!" I yelled as loud as I could, finding the strength to stand. I pulled back on Scott's arm because if he didn't fire, neither would the rest of the team.

Tenaya just looked at us and scoffed. She knew she was outnumbered and didn't stand a chance. Scott and the others had already taken out her attack-bot crony, and they weren't afraid to take her down next.

"This isn't over." she warned us. "I will be back." Then she stormed off. Gone once again. I felt Summer hanging on to me so I wouldn't fall. Normally one blast wouldn't have done me in so much, but I did nothing to defend myself--not if it meant hurting Tenaya.

"Are you okay, Dillon?" Summer asked, I didn't know if she meant emotionally or physically, but for both the answer was no. In not wanting to injure my sister I was putting the whole team in danger. I was between a rock and a hard place. It was like they were minus one ranger while Tenaya was around, because all I wanted to do when she was around was beg her to come back.

"You really fell down--"

"And went BOOM!!" Gem and Gemma said, finishing one another's thoughts and sentences. They jumped about, mimicking the explosion and giving one another a high-five. Any battle that had an sort of explosion was a good one for them.

"Yeah." I answered, dusting myself off. "I'm fine. What happened with the attack-bot?" I asked, impressed with how quickly they were able to bring it down.

"He's long gone." Scott answered proudly, placing his blaster back in the holster.

"We took it out while you were battling Tenaya. You seemed really wrapped up with her. Guess you didn't notice." Flynn explained.

Hearing this surprised me. I couldn't believe that I was so concerned about my sister that I didn't help my team when they needed me. She knew that I'd only be concerned about her wellbeing no matter how many attack-bots were out there. Tenaya had done just what Venjix wanted her to do--preoccupied me.

"Sorry." I told them sadly. I was just lucky that this particular attack-bot wasn't potentially dangerous. Because if they were destroyed because I failed to help them, it would be no different than destroying them myself.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Ziggy told me cheerfully. "I mean, it can't be that easy having to fight your sister every time we get called out." I felt him pat my shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Maybe you should stop coming to battles that deal with Tenaya." Scott said suddenly. His voice was cold and angry. I wasn't surprised after what I had done, and the fact that we never got along.

"What?" I scoffed. "I have to!" I didn't care if Scott was Team Leader or not, he wasn't going to keep me away from my sister.

"She's keeping you from doing your job, Dillon--that's a problem. Every time you come face to face with her, you freeze. It's like you shut down or something." he snapped at me.

"I can't hurt her, Scott. She's my sister!" I yelled, trying to remind him what I had been fighting for this whole time.

"I'm not asking you to hurt her, I'm asking her to stay away from her, at least in battle." Scott said. The entire team was silent. They knew better than to argue with Scott's orders. And who knows? Maybe they agreed with him.

"I can't! Not until she knows the truth! I can't just stand by and watch her be Venjix's pawn!" I yelled even louder. I couldn't believe what he was asking. I couldn't stay away from her. I had to save her from Venjix, before I was controlled myself.

"You're too emotionally involved in this. And when you're distracted, that makes you a target." Scott went on, growing more irritated with this subject matter the more we spoke of it.

"We just don't want you to get hurt." Summer said in a gentle voice. I couldn't believe that she agreed with Scott on a matter this serious.

"So you want me to just give up on her?" I asked coldly, shooting harsh glances at me team. I was hurt that it had come to this.

"No." Flynn jumped in. "But we don't want you giving up on yourself either." I was a little stunned that Flynn had a sentimental side to him. It made me think that my team really did have my best interest at heart.

"And who knows, maybe Doctor K will think of something in the mean time." Ziggy interjected, trying to boost my confidence that much more. And it worked, it was my team's words that kept me from unleashing. Even giving up. And I finally snapped out of it.

"So what do you---"

"Say, Ranger Black?" Gem and Gemma asked me, their cheerful disposition making me crack a smile.

I let out a hard sigh. "Fine." I answered. "Just promise me one thing."

"Name it." Scott said.

"Don't hurt her." I asked of them. "She's not herself."

"Fine. We'll hold her off without harm, but I can't make any promises if she hurts anyone." Scott warned me, letting me know how things were straight off. I knew deep down that he was doing what was best for the team and Corinth, but to me, it felt like he couldn't care less about Tenaya.

"We'll figure it out so it doesn't have to come to that." I said, determined not to give up on Tenaya, no matter my friends wanted to or not.

"Let's hope so." Scott answered with a nod. "Come on, team. Let's go." he said, heading to his car. We all did the same as we set our sights for the Garage. I hoped Ziggy wouldn't want to talk in the car. I felt bad for ignoring him, but I had a lot to think about.

XXX

I was fighting them. All of them. Scott, Flynn, Ziggy, Gem, Gemma, even Summer. They were all screaming at me to stop but I wouldn't…I couldn't. I was overthrowing all of them with ease. It was as if I was throwing dolls around the room. When all of them were lying helpless on the ground, I looked down at them.

'Stop this!' I was screaming at myself from the inside. But I had no control over any part of my body. All of my movements were being controlled by something I didn't know. The next thing I felt was my hand on my Rocket Blaster. I pulled it from it's holster and aimed it at the six people I used to call my friends.

"Dillon, you have to stop this!" Scott groaned as he tried to push himself from the floor without success.

"We're--"

"Your friends!" Gem and Gemma cried out, still talking in near unison, even in a horrible moment like this.

"You can't just blast us into crisps!!" Ziggy yelled in a full fledged panic, squirming on the floor for any means of escape.

"Get control of yourself!" Flynn screamed at me as the others did.

"Look inside yourself! You don't want to do this!" Summer cried out.

Little did they know, I was fighting harder than I ever could to stop, but my body wouldn't let me. I wanted to save my team from this. I wanted to save them from myself.

But no matter how much I fought, whoever was controlling me was bound and determined to have my friends destroyed. I just kept ignoring their pleas and aimed my large blaster at them, one at a time. As if I was trying to decide who to annihilate first.

Just as I pulled the trigger, I felt myself waking up from a deep sleep screaming.

I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was being suffocated. My body was drenched in sweat from head to toe. I sat there for a moment, trying to calm down, trying to catch my breath or at least steady it. When I looked down at my hands, I saw that they were clenched in tight fists. I just looked at them in horror as I slowly tried to relax them. I was shaking.

Was this my future? Were my friends going to be inevitably destroyed by my hand? I'd been having these nightmares for weeks and they were slowly getting worse. But something was different about this one. This time, when I destroyed my friends, I had to watch, fighting to gain control and stop myself.

I just sat there for a few minutes, trying to let this horrible feeling pass. "What am I going to do?" I asked myself in my silent room. At this point, since Doctor K didn't have a cure for me, there was nothing left to do except…wait.


	3. Summer's Late Night

**(Summer's POV)**

It was happening again--I could hear it. Dillon was having another nightmare. I could hear his voice from my room night after night, pleading, begging himself to stop attacking us. This had been going on for the past couple nights. I didn't see how the other rangers didn't hear it. I guessed it was because they all worked so hard fighting everyday, and just needed all the sleep they could get, or they were just the heaviest sleepers ever to come down the pike. I usually heard his cries when I went for my nightly glass of water. But tonight was different.

Tonight seemed like the worst it'd been. I knew what he was dreaming about--it wasn't hard to guess. He dreamt of the day that Venjix finally took control over him, and destroyed us. Knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it.

I wanted so much to go to him and try to ease his fears, but I know he'd just dismiss me, telling me that he could handle things himself, or that he's 'too big of a threat to help'. He always wanted to be so strong for me--for all of us, but it just left me feeling trapped. I hated hearing someone I cared about being tormented by their dreams every night, knowing there was nothing I could do. It made me feel trapped.

I wished there was some way I could find a cure. When Doctor K told us that the virus had spread to more than 40% of his body, I felt liked the wind had been knocked out of me, I could only imagine how Dillon felt. I'll never forget the look on his face. He felt he had become what he feared all along--helpless.

Suddenly, the talking ceased. He must be awake, freed from his nightmare. I wanted to go to him so badly, but I stayed back. Fighting the urge to see if he was alright. So I just rolled over, grabbing the pillow next to me, holding it close to my chest.

One thought just kept hitting me over and over. That moment Dillon and I were in the Venjix Barricade prison cell. I kept hearing Dillon yell:

"_Why are you always trying to save me?!"_

That was what worried me. 'Why am I always trying to save him?'. Does he think he's not worth saving?

When the cave began to collapse in on itself, we thought it was over. Surely there was no way out of this. Flames surrounded us at all sides, and what wasn't blocked by flame was blocked by boulders that were impassable.

As I felt myself begin to panic, Dillon gently grabbed my arm, pulling me close to him, letting me know he would keep me safe.

"_Doesn't look like we're going anywhere." _he told me. I turned to him, looking for some sort of answer. Then before we knew it, our lips were growing closer. I was finally going to have that moment I longed for for so long. But our moment was interrupted when the two of us were pelted by gallons of water. I knew it was none other than Gem and Gemma's new Whale Zord sent to put out the flames.

We were both soaked to the bone. But in the midst of it all we found ourselves wanting to laugh. We both smiled at one another, thinking of how romantic this moment really was. We didn't care that we were dripping wet, as long as we had each other.

Our lips grew closer once more, but this too was interrupted when Gem and Gemma ran into the cell, assuring our safety. In that moment, the walls Dillon had bolted up came down. I still wonder everyday what would have happened, if we were able to gave that moment.

That's why all of his pain was killing me. I couldn't bare the thought of losing him. It would leave a hole in my chest. He's like a part of me. It's odd--a few months ago, I didn't even know him, now, I feel like I can't live without him. I guess I just have to accept the fact that I had fallen for him. Hard.

As I felt myself drifting off into sleep, I heard a faint rattling coming from outside my door. I sat up from my bed to listen closer. Next thing I knew he was in my doorway. His face looked pained and pale.

"Summer…" he winced. He had a tight grip on his temples and a look of panic on his face. Without a second thought, I ran to him.

"Dillon? What is it? Are you okay?" I asked quickly.

"The virus…" he said with struggle. "is taking a hold of me." When his words ended, he collapsed to one knee. I could tell he was fighting so hard. But I had no idea how to save him. He was breathing so hard and shaking. Soon I felt panic fill me as well.

"I'll go get Doctor K!" I shouted as I rose to my feet.

"No!" he shrieked, grabbing my arm to stop me.

"Why not?" I asked, falling back down to his level.

"She'll just strap me on that chair again! I can't deal with that, no while my sister's still in danger!" he yelled, desperate to stop me.

"What can I do?" I stammered, my mind going a million miles a minute.

"Just…just talk to me. It helps. I know you can get me through this." he said with a shaky voice, shutting his eyes tightly, trying to focus on none other than my voice. I had to think of some way to fill the silence.

"Why me?" I asked. I don't know why he had so much faith in me, I didn't even have that much in myself. If he counted on me to get him through something this important, I couldn't let him down.

"You're the only one who understands. You never blamed me for my mistakes. So, please…don't tell Doctor K." he begged me. How could I refuse? The man I cared so deeply about needed me--that was all I needed to know.

"Alright." I told him in a gentle voice. "I won't say anything." I then placed my hands on his shoulders and rubbed them gently, trying any way to sooth him. I had no idea if it would work, but it was worth a try. "You can get through this." I said. As I spoke to him, I saw his eyes flicker from red and back. And before I knew it, I was flying across the room, crashing into my dresser, my trinkets falling around me to the floor. I didn't care. If he was still fighting, so was I. So I pushed myself off of my dresser, ignoring the pain in my back and went back over to him.

"Come on, Dillon! You're stronger than this!" I yelled, grabbing him forcefully by the shoulders, forcing him to look at me. A moment later, his breathing slowed, and the shaking stopped. Then I saw his soft brown eyes looking up at me. He had one.

"Summer?" he asked with a confused look in his face. "What happened?"

The last thing I wanted to do was tell him what just happened. I remained silent for a moment, trying to find the right words. But before I could, Dillon saw my dresser trashed and my things on the floor.

His eyes were wide with horror. "Did I hurt you?" he asked. Even though the dresser told the whole story. It only answered his question more when he saw that my hand was bleeding from where I cut it on a mirror that had broken. "I did that to you?" he asked, unable to take his eyes from my wound.

"Dillon, it's okay." I assured him. "It's only a little scrape." Truth was, I didn't even really feel the cut on my hand. All that mattered to me in that moment was that Dillon was still in control--no one else.

"This time." he corrected me, ashamed of all the ruckus he had just caused.

"I know you would never hurt me." I told him, taking his hand in mine. "We both know that."

"But that wasn't _me_, Summer. This was all something that I couldn't control." he said, still stunned by the fact that he had caused me any physical harm. That was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. It was as if he thought he failed me. "I can't do this anymore." He stated, rising to his feet.

"What does _that_ mean?" I asked, standing myself. I didn't know what he meant, but I didn't like where any of this was going.

"I'm finished putting you and the others in danger." he said, running his fingers through his hair and exhaling sharply, knowing that I would dread what he said next. "I'm leaving in the morning."

I was stunned by his words. I couldn't believe it had come to this. "W-what?! You can't!" I shouted in protest. I had almost lost him to Venjix tonight, I wasn't about to lose him to himself.

"I'm not going to be the one to harm anyone else. I'm sorry. I'd rather not be here at all than be here and put all your lives at risk." he explained, I could already tell that his mind was made up. I couldn't even get out a word before he left my room.

I just stood there stunned for a moment, trying to fathom what had just happened. After a moment, I just sat down on my bed and sighed. I didn't know what to do. There had to be some way to change his mind. I wasn't going to stop until I found it.


	4. A Reason to Stay

**(Summer's POV)**

I woke up the next morning still exhausted. I didn't get much sleep last night given the fact that Dillon nearly lost himself to Venjix, then sprung it on me that he was leaving. I had wracked my brain for most of the night trying to think of a way to get him to stay. And all I had was--'don't go'.

There was still so much that I wanted to tell him. Starting with how I felt about him. I wanted to say so much but couldn't find the right words to do it. It felt like my world was slowly crumbling around me and I had no idea how to fix it.

So I rolled myself out of bed and sulked into the Garage. As I grabbed myself an orange juice out of the fridge, I spotted Scott, Flynn, Gem and Gemma all playing a friendly game of pool. They were laughing and carrying, finding some fun in the midst of all this danger. I wish I saw this as they all did--one big game.

It wasn't as if they didn't consider Venjix a threat, they just knew how to turn the times he actually _wasn't _attacking into good times to remember. They were all so happy, and I envied them for that. I just had too much on my mind to really have fun.

"Hey, Summer!" I heard Flynn call out to me. "Want to play winner?"

"Me?" I asked, jumping out of my thoughts. "Oh, no thanks." I answered, pushing my hair behind my ear. I felt bad for turning him down, but a game of pool was the last thing I cared about right now.

Scott fired a blue ball into the corner pocket, then turned to me. "Are you okay?" he asked, rising from the table. "You're awfully quiet this morning."

"Yeah." I answered unconvincingly. "I just didn't had a rough night last night. Didn't get much sleep." I slid my wounded hand in the pocket of my jacket so the others wouldn't see. I know I'd never hear the end of it if the others knew what happened.

"Why not?" Scott asked, concern for me coming through in his voice.

It was at that moment I saw Dillon coming down the stairs. "Bad dreams." I answered. It wasn't all a lie, I just wasn't the one _having _the bad dreams.

"Hey, Dil!" Flynn asked, chalking up his cue. "Want to play a round of pool with us?"

"No." Dillon answered coldly, not breaking his stride as he headed for another room of the Garage. .

"Consisting of?" Scott jumped in. He always hated it when other rangers made plans without consulting him first, given he was team leader and all. If something bad were to go down due to one of his ranger's carelessness, it would be on his head.

"Just plans." Dillon answered in an even icier voice. I could tell from his tone that he wasn't in the mood for Scott's third degree. And after last night, I didn't know if it was for the best if we told him or not. But it wasn't my business to tell him, it was his. In a blink of an eye, Dillon was already out of the room. I had no idea where he was headed, I just hoped that, wherever it was, he'd come back. So, without thinking, I ran after him.

"I wonder what's--"

"Gotten into _him_?!" Gem and Gemma said one after the other. Since they were the newest members of the ranger team, they weren't entirely aware of what was at stake with Dillon and this Venjix Virus.

"Guess someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Scott chimed in as he aimed for another shot, acing it. "Whoo!" he cheered, throwing his cue down on the table. "Pay up, McAllistar!" he boasted at Flynn.

"Aye…" Flynn grumbled, pulling a twenty out of his pocket and handing it to Scott. "It's a ridiculous game anyways."

"Wow! We've never seen someone--"

"Lose by _that_ many points before!" Gem and Gemma exclaimed, unaware of how much they were insulting the Blue Ranger.

By the time I made it out of the room and finally spotted Dillon, he had made it pretty far ahead of me. "Dillon!" I called out to him, happy that I was able to make him stop and catch up to him.

"What?" He snapped coldly, turning around to me.

"Where are you going?" I asked, determined for an answer.

"Away." he said simply, turning away from me.

"Why?" I asked. I hoped that he could tell from the tone of my voice that I wanted nothing more than for him to tell me he was staying.

"You know the answer to that." I informed me.

It was true. I knew all the reasons he wanted to leave, and I really didn't blame him for any of them, but fact of the matter was, I needed him, and so did Corinth.

"Last night was an accident. That wasn't you, you had no control of yourself." I explained. I knew as well as the rest of the team that he would never deliberately hurt anyone.

"Exactly." Dillon said. "Last night I hurt you. This time it was minor, next time it may not be and I'm not going to stick around and take that chance."

"It won't." I told him softly. I knew I was lying, I really had no idea if it would happen again or not, but at this point I would say anything.

"You can't know that." he said, unable to look me in the eyes. A few moments of pure silence passed. Neither of us knew what to say. But suddenly, Dillon filled the silence. "Where's Ziggy?" he asked. I guess he noticed he wasn't here playing pool with the others.

"He went for a walk." I told him. "Don't change the subject."

"Summer, last night shouldn't have happened, but it did. I'm sick of being a threat to my team, and am sick of putting everyone in constant danger." he explained, getting back on subject as I requested. I knew being near him was a risk, if that's what it took for him to be in my life, it was a risk I was willing to take.

"Please don't leave." I asked of him, sounding more pleading than I had hoped.

"Summer…" he began, but I cut him off.

"Just give it a little more time. A day." I said.

"What would that accomplish?" he asked. He had no idea how I felt about him and why I really wanted him to stay. If I wanted him not to leave, I'd have to lay all my cards on the table.

"I need you." I choked out softly.

I felt him look at me. Something I had said finally gotten through to him. All this time he thought no one cared, but little did he know, I did. That there _was _a reason for him to stay here, other than being a ranger. I slowly brought my gaze to his. I could tell he was about to say something, but our morphers went off.

Dillon sighed and rolled his eyes in frustration. "I'll go with you, but I can't make any promises." he warned me.

"We'll just play it by ear, okay?" I answered. He nodded in response, and the two of us ran to who was in need.


	5. Ziggy's Dilemma

**A/N:**** Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I may not be able to update as much for a while. I've started a new job and it requires a lot of my time. I will try and keep up with this story the best I can. Thanks, as always, for reading. ****J**

**(Ziggy's POV)**

"Beautiful day for a walk!" I thought to myself as I walked around Corinth City. It was beautiful indeed. The sun was shining brightly, and the air wasn't too hot or too cool. Although, I knew this entire city was programmed, the light was artificial and the air was probably a jumbo sized air conditioner, but I didn't care. I was in too good a mood.

But the more I walked around, the hotter I felt. I think it was the leather jackets Doctor K made us wear. But I would wear this coat even if it were a hundred degrees out. Reason being I had a little…let's say 'crush' on the petite doctor. She was pretty, educated, and always smelled like vanilla. She was perfect.

But, getting back to my day, I was hot, and needed to buy something to quench my thirst. So I stopped at a sidewalk vending machine and bought a water bottle--I would have bought my usually 'Mountain Mist', but they were fresh out.

As I continued my walk, I just enjoyed the fresh air and the fact that Venjix actually wasn't kicking our butts. Although I wasn't the newest ranger to the team anymore, I still felt like the black sheep…or the weak sheep, and didn't like that coming through in battle time after time. At least I was improving, thanks to Dillon helping me train the nights that he couldn't sleep.

Before I knew it, my bottle was empty. When I spotted a trash can, I tossed it in, making a perfect shot.

"Yes!" I cheered for myself at my success.

My day got even better when I saw a shiny copper penny lying on the ground in front of me, heads up of course!

"Must be my lucky day!" I shouted aloud, slipping my new find in my jean pocket. I smiled at my luck--this day was going great….

…Until I saw a hoard of Fresno Bob's goons beginning to swarm all around me.

"Or not!" I gulped, trying to run out of sight of the mobsters. I ran as fast as I could away from them, but they were faster than I remembered. If I get captured, it's over, Fresno Bob will turn me into a Ziggy-Kabob! The more I tried to run away, the more things got in my way. Whether it was crates, boxes, or scrap metal. I did my best to leap and roll over them, but much to my dismay, so did the goons. Not to mention in a fancier fashion than me. I wish I could do that…

As I made my way out of the warehouse, thinking I was free and clear, I heard a goon yell, "This way!!". They were gaining on me--and fast. I saw a mother cuddling her new bundle of joy a few feet ahead of me, but that didn't stop me from barreling right through them. "Sorry!!" I screamed back at her, never breaking stride.

"Stop!!" She shouted after me, fearing for her child. I'd have to find a way to make that up to the lady. I'm just thankful that neither the goons or myself didn't hurt them. That would put a bit of a damper on my Ranger record. And the point was, they didn't want her baby--they wanted me.

Next, I came to a bundle of trucks. Thinking on my feet, I opened the doors in their faces, momentarily stunning them. I would do anything to keep them off of me. I climbed up one truck and quickly leapt onto a car--totally stinging my feet by the way! But I had to keep going. I through barrels in their pathways, then ran behind a wall, morphing as fast as I could. I knew teleporting was a risk, seeing as how I didn't know how to control where I was going, but I had too. And I was off!

But where did I end up? I knew when I felt Doctor K sitting on me. When she realized that I was her new chair, she shrieked in horror--I joined in.

"Hello." I choked out softly, trying to soften the moment.

Doctor K jumped up half a second later "Ranger Operator Series Green, _what_ do you think you're doing?!"

"Um…" I stammered, demorphing myself. "I-I was…see I was running--"

"Running?" She barked at me, her face red as Scott's uniform. "Elaborate. _Please_!"

I didn't know what to say here. Like I said before, I had a crush on the doctor. I thought she was a major babe, and would love to take her out for a date sometime. But what with the way she was looking at me, I don't think that'd ever happed. She thought I was just some noobie doofus. The others ran in before I could answer.

"Where's the attack breach?" Scott asked quickly, running to the monitors.

"Attack breach?" I asked, looking to Doctor K. "Did…you send out an alert because I was missing?" A smile spread across my face as I said this. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Doctor K liked me as much as I liked her.

"N-no!" the doctor stammered in defense, dashing over to her computers, silencing the alarms. "I thought I saw an attack-bot over in Sector 14! I must have made a mistake!"

"Mistake?" Flynn asked in surprise. "I thought you didn't make mistakes?"

"It won't happen again." She assured us, rushing out of the room. I swear I saw her blush.

"Are you okay, Ziggy?" Dillon asked me, looking at me somewhat strangely, given what he and the others all walked in on.

"Ye-yeah. Fit as a fiddle." I answered meekly. I just remembered why I was running in the first place. I felt a cold chill down my spine, so I headed to the fridge to get myself some more water.

"Is everything okay?" Gemma asked, following me.

"Or did something EXPLODE!" Gem chimed in, miming an explosion with his hands.

I reached into the fridge, pulling out a water slowly. "Fresno Bob just tracked me down."

"Tracked you down?" Scott asked. "I thought you were done with that guy."

I just scoffed. "Hardly." I jumped onto the pool table and sat, throwing my hands in my face. "I'm so done for!" I whimpered.

"Ziggy, calm down." Summer said gently, placing a hand on my shoe.

"Calm down? Calm down?!" I exclaimed in a voice louder than I had planned. "How can I calm down when Fresno Bob's gonna ghost me?!"

"Ziggy--" Dillon began. But me and my jumpy nerves cut him off.

"I mean, really, talk about holding a grudge. Get over it already!" I yelled, ignoring those around me, spiraling in my panic. "And after all I've done for him…"

"What exactly do you owe this guy?" Dillon asked me next.

I felt my heart stop. I had never actually done all the math as to what I owed the guy, but I guess now was as good a time as any.

"Owe him?" I thought to myself. "Where to begin…"

"Well," I began with a gulp. "there was all the skimming from the top, you know, here and there--nothing crazy. Then there's the mix up with the numbers…that wasn't good. Then hi-jacking the truck, so…five million?" I told them. The mere silence after I said the number, told me how bad this was. It was even worse when I heard them whistle. Their reaction really threw it into perspective. I felt myself begin to panic again. "I'm a ghost! I'm a ghost!" I cried.

"Ziggy, don't talk like that." Summer told me. "Fresno Bob is more of a business man than anything else, and since you owe him so much money, ghosting you wouldn't make much sense.

In a way, Summer had a point. Fresno Bob _is_ a strict business man. But the problem was, he enjoyed ghosting people just as much as he liked his business, so this would be icing on the cake for him.

I just placed my hands back on my face and shuddered. "I just need to watch my back. Dillon--" I began, hopping off of the table over to my best pal. "--do you think you could be my…I don't want to say bodyguard for Fresno Bob, but…bo-bodyguard for Fresno Bob?" I stammered nervously. I saw Dillon sigh a little at my request. "Please?" I asked again. "Normally, I wouldn't ask because I know you have your own problems, but seeing as how you're my best pal--" It was then I saw Dillon throw a hand up to stop me.

"Stop, Ziggy." Dillon cut me off. "I'll watch your back."

"Really?" I smiled in relief.

"Really." he assured me with a head nod.

"Oh, thank you!" I cheered, throwing my arms around him, giving him a bear hug. "Now, I'm going to go upstairs and try to harness my skills anyways. I don't need a guard for that, but--"

"Just holler if you need me." Dillon told me.

"Thanks again, buddy." I said, rushing up the stairs.

"Hey, can we--"

"--come too?" Gem and Gemma asked excitedly.

"Sure," I chuckled, "but let's try and keep the explosions to a minimum okay?"

"Okay…" The Gold and Silver Rangers whined in unison.

"And _I'm_ going to tune up my car. That last battle really did a number on it." Scott interjected. "Flynn, care to spare your mechanical talents?" he asked the ranger in blue.

"Sure, but it'll cost you." Flynn chuckled as he followed Scott out of the room, grabbing a wrench from the table along the way.

"I'll make you a fruit smoothie later, just fix my car." Scott said, laughing himself. Then we were all off doing our own things. I just hoped Dillon and my training would be enough.


	6. Ghost

**(Dillon's POV)**

When all of the rangers left the room, it left only me and Summer there. Scott was off to fix his car with Flynn's assistance, and Ziggy headed upstairs with Gem and Gemma to squeeze in some training. In a way I felt honored when Ziggy asked me to be his bodyguard--it would give me something to focus on other than my own problems. Not that I felt entirely at peace with the fact that Ziggy trusted me to protect him when I had no idea when I'd lose control to Venjix. But it was a start.

Summer and I were just standing there in silence. Neither one of us really knew what to say. I just stood there at the pool table, rolling the balls back and forth on the table. I could feel her staring at me. I knew what she was going to say next.

"So…does this mean what I think it means?" she asked, leaning against the table with her arms folded. I heard the hope in her voice.

"What?" I asked, aware I was playing dumb. Talking was never my strong suit--at least I don't remember it being that way.

"You just promised Ziggy that you would protect him from Fresno Bob, that can only mean that you've decided to stay." She said. She looked to my face to see uncertainty. "…Right?"

"Maybe for a few days." I answered, still looking at the table opposed to her. I didn't want to see the look on her face from my answer. "Just until things clear up with him."

"You can't just walk away." I heard her say softly, brining her gaze to the table as well.

I stopped what I was doing and looked to her. "I can if I put the people I care about at risk."

She looked at me. "You're putting_ yourself_ in danger if you leave." She reminded me.

"How do you figure?" I asked. I never thought of it that way. I never thought that I was in any sort of danger, I always thought I _was_ the danger.

Summer just hopped on the table and sat next to me. "If you leave, that means the virus will get a hold of you for sure, but if you stay, Doctor K may be able to find a cure to help you." she explained.

"You heard her before Summer," I told her, "she doesn't know a cure, not to mention that there may not even _be_ one." I felt all of the hopes I had fading away from me. I felt like I was falling.

I felt Summer place her hand on mine. "You mean we haven't found a cure _yet_." I looked at her and felt some hope find its way back inside me. Maybe there was a cure out there for me. "And what about Ten--" she began, seeing the look on my face made her correct herself. "Your sister."

I never liked to call my sister 'Tenaya 15', I knew that wasn't her real name. It was some title and number Venjix decided to give her. I didn't like people calling her that, it made her sound like nothing more than an attack-bot.

"I don't--" I began in a harsh yell, but closed my eyes to calm myself. "I don't know."

"Exactly." Summer said. "Your sister still needs you, just like we all do. Just stay here and maybe Doctor K will think of something for the both of you." I then saw a soft smile hit her face, I don't know if it was real or not, but it gave me what I needed to smile myself.

"How are you always so…optimistic?" I asked.

"Because I trust in the people around me. I believe things will work out because…they have to." She said softly. I guess it wasn't easy for her to be so positive all the time, but she was because she had what I didn't--faith.

"I wouldn't trust me, Summer." I told her.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Why not?" I repeated. "Because I could have really hurt you last night.."

"But you didn't." She assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder and stroking it gently. "And you won't."

"I'm lucky you trust me so much." I told her softly.

"You haven't given me a reason not to." She said with a warm smile. Then our heads grew closer, it was like that day in my sister's cell all over again, only this time, no rangers could interrupt. This was finally our moment. Just as our lips began to hit one another's, the alarms blared in our ears, pulling us apart. Moments later, we saw Doctor K storm into the room.

"Kilobyte is in the city attacking innocent civilians." She informed us, sitting quickly in her computer chair, typing away. Not far behind her, Scott and the others ran in to. They all made way for their vehicles as fast as they could. Summer just looked at me for a moment, than ran to her bike. I felt like a jerk. Just as I lowered my walls, they came right back up again. Next thing I knew, I felt Ziggy slapping me on the shoulder.

"Ready to head out, Mr. Bodyguard?" he asked energetically. Unlike myself, he was raring to go.

I just let out a sharp exhale and muttered a 'Yeah.'. Then, just like the times before, we drove off once again to defend the city.

Xxx

**(Ziggy's POV)**

Boy, Dillon really drives fast! He always seems to go at least seventy-five when I'm with him. I mean, I know there's trouble and we have to defend the city and all, but I have a tendency to get carsick on occasion, and I know Dillon wouldn't be too thrilled if I threw up in his nice car.

I try to talk to him when he drives, but he always seems to be in another world. Like, he's…distracted or something. I guess it's not easy always having to fight your hybrid, attack-bot sister all the time, not to mention being a hybrid yourself. I just wished he'd talk to me, he's like a brother to me. I just know he'd feel a lot better if his sister was nice again. She wasn't too bad when she was. She was actually kind of cute, but not cuter than--

"Ziggy!" I heard Dillon yell, shaking me free of my thoughts. It was then I noticed he was out of the car waiting for me…oops. Guess I got lost in my thoughts. I ran out of the car to join him, and there ahead of us was that creep Kilobyte.

"Ah, yes, the Power Rangers. I was wondering when you would grace me with your presence." He said in his irritating voice, pushing is metallic, Mohawk-like hair back. He then caught us off guard, blasting us to the floor. Ouch. "Let us get started, shall we?"

The seven of us sprang to our feet trying our best to dispatch him, but he soon sent me back to the ground. One by one I saw Scott, Flynn, Summer, Gem, Gemma, and even Dillon overthrown by his massive powers.

"What losers." He mumbled, adjusting his suit and making his way over to me.

I attempted best I could to stand. "Hey, wait! Now, don't make any rash decisions, okay?" I pleaded. "Think things though, think it through! I'm not really worth beating up and--whoa!" I screamed as I felt him grab me and force me to my feet. Scott and the others immediately ran to my rescue. I'm lucky to have buddies like them!

"This is actually becoming a bit…boring." Kilobyte said in a bored tone as he clang to me.

"Okay," Scott said, "then let's spice things up a bit!" he yelled, him and the others all activating their morphers.

"RPM!! Get in gear!" The rangers shouted in unison, them becoming engulfed in their ranger forms.

I'm jealous! I wish I was morphing with them! When they were through, they all ran at once for Kilobyte, causing him to throw me to the floor, needless to say, ow. I rolled about five times before I finally stopped. And again I had to watch him take down my friends. Enough! Nobody hurts _my_ friends--nobody. So I activated my own morpher and joined in on the ranger fun.

"RPM!! Get in gear!" I yelled, my green suit covering me head to toe. Yay! I was finally morphed with my pals! This was _my _time to shine. I ran at Kilobyte, Scott running by my side a few seconds later (Much to my relief).

But that creep grabbed me by my arms, throwing me into a pile of all barrels and crates. Again--ow. Scott joined me in my predicament a few moments later. We were getting slammed! I heard Kilobyte laughing from a few feet away. I hate this guy.

"This isn't working…" Scott said, pulling back out his morpher, calling Doctor K. "Doc, is the Rail Saber ready yet?" he asked quickly.

"Negative, Ranger Operator Series Red." She answered. I'm sure she was doing all she could. After all, it wasn't like she _wanted _us to get beaten to a pulp. So we all regrouped together to try something else. But before we could think of anything, Kilobyte send an incredible attack our way, hurling us in the air, demorphing us, and slamming us to the ground.

"How pathetic." Kilobyte sneered.

Just as I stood to run after him, I felt someone grab me from behind and put their hand over my mouth and pull me away. I turned around to see Tenaya. I screamed for the others to notice, but they were too weak to notice. She then threw me into a sea of Grinders, taking me away.

Tenaya made me walk with her and the Grinders for a while. The metal heads held my hands behind my back so I wouldn't escape. "Alright, alright--ouch!" I yelled as they pushed me along, pulling on my hand. "Unlike yours, my hand isn't an accessory." I told her. "What is it with your family anyways--you're so high strung. Are you trying to frighten me?" I asked, feeling a Grinder shove me hard.

"You'll be scared soon enough." She assured me, walking more ahead of me.

"You know I'm not afraid of you _or_ Venjix!" I shouted. It wasn't true, but she didn't have to know that. Maybe this will save her from trying to intimidate me. Ha!

"That's fine…because I'm taking you to Fresno Bob." she said matter-of-factly.

Okay, ix-nay on the 'not intimidating me' line. It was simple. I was a ghost.


	7. Finding Ziggy Grover

**(Doctor K's POV)**

It was simple. Ranger Operator Series Green was captured by Tenaya 15. She was taking him to his biggest enemy--Fresno Bob. There was no telling what he was going to do with him. When I heard through his morpher that that was where she was taking him, I immediately began to try to think of ways out of it.

Worst part of it was, I had no idea where they were all meeting up, and I knew that the other rangers would be calling any minute asking me where he was. I can't believe that I'm letting Zigg--I mean Ranger Green's, disappearance affect me so much. I'm even beginning to miss his witty jokes he cracks on an hourly basis. Where could he be??

Given recent facts that the gang leader Fresno Bob was already after him, and the large sum of money Ziggy owed to him, his chances of survival were slim. A strange, unfamiliar feeling crept over me as I thought this. I couldn't let anything happen to him, I just couldn't. There has to be an answer out there somewhere.

Too much time ha passed since I'd given the rangers a status report, so I tried to sound as breezy as I could when I called them.

"Rangers, I'm sorting through multiple shield breaches and numerous Grinder sightings across the city Not to mention the powerful bot with the blaster." I explained in my calm voice. I didn't want the rangers getting any sort of clues of my feelings being exposed.

"What about the rail saber?" Ranger Red asked. "If that bot attacks again then--"

"It's not operational yet." I interrupted. I was working as fast as I could to finish the saber, but it has taken a back seat to me finding Ranger Green.

"Hang on a sec," Ranger Black chimed in, "what about Ziggy?" I didn't blame him for being so worried about Ranger Green, but I had to put on a front.

"Operator Series Green is out of the equation. And his morpher signal has gone dead. What do you suggest? We go door to door?" I snapped. I didn't mean to sound so harsh, I was kicking myself for it.

"She's as bad as the machines." I heard Ranger Black scoff. It stung hearing him say something like that, but I have to admit, harsh as I was, I deserved it. I slipped down in my seat. I really don't blame him, I basically just wrote off his best friend, and for what? To save face. If only he knew how I truly felt for Ranger Series Green.

"We're going to keep on looking. Hopefully they haven't gone too far." Ranger Red instructed, proving his leader skills. "Now, I'm sending Gem and Gemma back to work on the weapon with you. Rangers out." he said, cutting the feed, and the arguing.

It was clear that he, like Ranger Black, was concerned about Ranger Green's wellbeing. All the while thinking I was just a cold, heartless monster. But little did they know…

"Scans for the Series Green morpher still negative." My computer told me. I had put the Rail Saber on the back burner for this, only to come up with nothing.

"Negative?" I thought to myself. How could it still be negative? I had come too far to give up now. I typed a few hard keystrokes and proceeded. "Widen the search ray." I demanded from my scanners.

I just had to find him--it was that simple. Without realizing it, Ranger Green had become a very important part of my life. But if anyone can save him, it was the rangers. I just hope that I've given them the proper equipment to do so. Hopefully, widening the search will be successful. I'd widen it to Pluto if that's what it took. Ziggy Grover is more than just a ranger to me. He's my friend.


	8. Failed Negotiations

**(Ziggy's POV)**

I was really getting sick of this. Tenaya and her stupid Grinders were yanking me along to someplace, I had no idea where. All I knew was she was taking me to *gulp* Fresno Bob. She didn't have to yank so hard tough! I bruise like a peach!

I knew where we were when I smelled the faint scent of horses and fresh cut grass. It was none other than Fresno Bob's humble abode. He lived in a gigantic mansion with race tracks and casinos, no doubt it was the money that I'd given him over the years to get him here. And now he was unhappy with me. And if I learned anything over the years it was never to let someone rich be unhappy with you, because they have…connections.

Like I said earlier…I was a ghost. I tried (unsuccessfully) the whole walk over here to try and convince Tenaya to let me go, but she was stubborn, a lot like her brother. I'm just glad he and I have a special bond.

"Come on, Tenaya! Why are you doing this? I mean, come on, you're Dillon's sister! He's worried about you!" I reminded her, trying to break her tough exterior with guilt. I was surprised to see her stop. Maybe I _had_ gotten through to her?

"I have no ties with Ranger Black. I am Tenaya 15, Venjix Human Infiltration At--" She began until I cut her off.

"Fifteen?" I asked in surprise. "I thought you were Tenaya 7?" I was utterly confused. Somewhere along the line she had jumped from Generation 7 to 15.

"Master Venjix upgraded me." she answered simply.

_That_ explains why she went from sweet and wanting to help us one minute, to kidnapping me the next. Dillon wouldn't be happy to hear this. It was hard enough getting her back the first time.

"Oh, so…what happened to Generations 8-14? Didn't make the cut?" I teased, probably not the smartest move to try and get under her skin. But that's what I tended to do, dig myself in a hole only to make it deeper. "Or does Venjix tend to just like that num--"

"Silence!" she screamed.

See?

"Fresno Bob is waiting, _Ziggy_." She said, saying my name in disgust. She smirked as she turned escort me further to Fresno Bob. She was loving every second of this.

Grinders began pushing me again. Great. "Hey, l-look it's not to late to change your mind. There are a lot of opportunities for half-machines these days. I could make some calls!" I screamed to her. Right now I'd rather go head to head with Venjix than Bob.

"Comply or be destroyed." She said with a voice as empty and robotic as her face.

I was speechless--not to mention horrified. The fear only intensified when I saw Fresno Bob's black limousine pull up behind us. That 'ghosting' I mentioned earlier, well, that moment was here. A tall bald man, none other than one of Bob's cronies, exited first, opening the door for Bob. I noticed him holding a large black briefcase along side him. He soon hopped out and leaned against the door.

The first thing that caught my glance was the rings on his fingers, because I knew that soon those pretty little gems would be imprinted permanently in my face.

"Hello, Ziggy." His gruff voice said with a wicked grin.

I felt a chill run down my spine and a lump in my throat. I knew Scott and the others had their hands full with Venjix's latest goon he had spat out, but I'd rather be there than here. Strike that. I'd rather be _anywhere_ but here.

"Toss me the case and I'll give you the runt." Tenaya told him.

"Runt?!" I repeated in offense. "That's really not called for, I'm sorry." I told them. It really wasn't. I'm far from a runt. I know I was never the best ranger to come down the pike, but runt? Jeez.

"Relax." Fresno Bob told me, waving a hand. (Yeah right!) Horses galloped by us in perfect form. If only I had the courage to break free and run off on one. "This'll all be over in a minute." (Again…yeah right.)

Bob motioned for one of his goons to give Tenaya the case. I wonder what's in there anyways? It must be pretty important if Tenaya's wanting to get her mitts on it. A Grinder grabbed the case from him and brought it to her. When she opened it, a small light hit her face, as well as a look of satisfaction. But my view was still obstructed from seeing what it was. I had no idea what was in there. Maybe Doctor K would know what it was, if she was even looking for me. Doubt it. I annoy her more than any of the others do. She and Dillon never got along but I'm sure she still prefers him to me. I hate how nervous I get to her. I just hope I somehow get out of this so I can show her how I've matured.

"You got what you want…now give me Ziggy." Fresno Bob instructed Tenaya.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Just as I was picking out some heroic last words, Tenaya lifted her two fingers that held a pistol up. "I expected more from the leader of the Scorpion Cartel." She said with a smirk. "I can't give you Ziggy, he's much to valuable to us." (Really? Me? How flattering! I must be doing something right if the all powerful super computer wants me!) It was then that I spotted my morpher. If I wanted it I'd have to be discreet.

"_Never_ trust a machine!" Fresno Bob snarled.

"Affirmative." Tenaya answered simply. I wish I was as fearless around him as she was. And…that's when the fight broke out. I took out all the Grinders around me in one swift motion and snagged my morpher from Tenaya's back pocket. Before I did so, however, she tried to blast me with her pistol. Thinking quickly, I grabbed her arm and forced her to shoot all the Grinders around us, frying them. Sweet!

I slapped the morpher on my wrist as fast as I could, shifting the gear up and back. "RPM! Get in gear!" I shouted, morphing into, as Doctor K calls me, Ranger Operator Series Green. "Run!!" I instructed Fresno Bob's goons. Then I went for Tenaya.

Respecting Dillon's wishes, I tried to hold her off without hurting her. (Although she made it very difficult!) For a girl, she packs a powerful punch. She nailed me in the face, sending me face to face with the grass. From there, I saw Grinders heading for Bob and his buddies again. I know they're criminals, but I _am_ a Power Ranger, and saving hides is my duty.

"Oh man…" I grumbled, springing from the ground. I ran and did my job, fighting off the Grinders. If I could just get them in their car they'd be home free. "Go!!" I screamed at them when I saw an open moment. I opened the limo door and forced them inside. They sure weren't wanting to ghost me now! "Get out of here!" I shouted at the head honcho. "Hurry!" Then, seconds later, they were gone. I know he'll want to ghost me again when this all over.

"You little…" Tenaya mumbled…and here she comes.

I tried to deflect her blows but she was fast, too fast, like, lightening fast. She punched and kicked me until I felt my back on the grass. "Watch it!" I cried. "I bruise like a peach!" I don't need bruises cramping my style with the ladies. Rangers covered in bruises--not very sexy.

Tenaya then grabbed me, pulled me up, just to throw me back to the ground again. Pretty pointless. I was really getting tired of this(not to mention pretty banged up.) Just when I thought I was a goner, I heard a familiar (and at the moment, angelic) voice call out.

"Incoming!" Gemma yelled, descending from out of nowhere. She kicked Tenaya as she lowered, sending her back. "You okay, Ziggy?" Gemma asked.

"Oh sure, thanks for asking!" I cried. If she were about ten seconds later, I would have been long gone. So with me and my newfound savior at hand, we had all we needed to fight Tenaya…at least for now.

As where my fight was looking up, I could only hope that the others were going just as well. But I had a feeling it was. "Where's Gem?" I asked.

"Helping the others." She answered. It was weird hearing her talk on her own without Gem finishing her sentences.

"So I guess that means…" I began.

"Yep! The Rail Blaster is complete!" She answered happily. I could tell she was itching to make something go KA-BOOM!

"Best news I've heard all day!" I cheered. Now I _knew_ the others were okay! Anything Doctor K creates is a complete success. Uh-oh…Tenaya's getting back up again. She quickly ran over to Gemma and me and began to fight us both. "Alright, Gemma! Two on one, this'll be easy!" I said confidently. But I spoke too soon, because a second later, me and Gemma were on the ground.

"You were saying?" Gemma said irritably. I don't blame her. But before I could apologize, Tenaya grabbed me (again!) and began to fight me (again!). She grabbed Gemma two, kicking us both in the chest with one jump, sending us back to the grass. She didn't even bother with finishing us off, the briefcase was too important. She just back flipped away with a Grinder and the briefcase.

"And don't come back!" I shouted to her after she left. I took all the beating I could for one day.

"Yeah!" Gemma added. We were just relieved that we were done with her for now. I really couldn't take any more of her anyways. I'm glad Dillon isn't like her. Gemma and I tried to slap hands in victory but…uh, missed. Then Doctor K's voice came through our morphers.

"Ranger Operators Series Green and Silver, sensors have picked up charges all around Corinth. You have to dispatch the Grinders set to detonate them, or we're all in grave danger." She explained in her own words.

"_Grave_ danger? Like, sent to the grave dangerous?" I gulped. "I can't be sent to the grave, because I have a things with tight spaces and--"

"On it!" Gemma interrupted. "Come on, Ziggy!" she yelled, taking my hand and pulling me along with her. Enough with the pulling already!

Next thing I knew we were in the zords. We saw Grinders getting ready to blast Corinth City to bits. "Ready, Ziggy?" Gemma asked me.

"You know it!" I responded. Then she and I fired mercilessly at those stupid Grinders. Victory! We then saw Kilobyte getting ready to blast our pals, but we weren't having it! "Up here, buddy!" I shouted at him, although he was nowhere near one of my buddies. I just like tough-guy talk.

"Just in time, huh?" Gemma added with a small salute. Rangers Green and Silver to the rescue! And we zapped Kilobyte to the ground!

"Uh…you guys laying down on the job?" I asked jokingly with a chuckle, peering at their zords on the ground.

"Oh, Ziggy…" Gemma giggled.

Then Scott activated the Road Attack Zord and fought off Kilobyte in his weakened state. But Kilobyte's blaster got to us before Scott did, causing us to fall apart. But that wasn't a problem, that just gave us a chance to combine _all_ our zords! Then we used our Wheel Blasters to send him packing.

"This isn't over yet!" Kilobyte screamed as he staggered away. "Do you hear me?!" Then he was gone. Phew! What a long day! Kilobyte and Tenaya may not be defeated, but they were gone for now--thank goodness. I just couldn't help but wonder what Tenaya wanted so bad in that case…


	9. Don't Give Up

**(Dillon's POV)**

Well, Ziggy was safe. That was the important thing. I really owe him one. I had just promised him that I would look after him, and I failed to keep him safe, only letting him get captured by his biggest enemy. If I weren't so distracted with everything going in my life, I could have gone after him. After all, it _was_ my sister that captured him. But I had my orders. God only knows what Scott would of done to me had I'd gone after. He already warned me once about being preoccupied with her. As much as I'd like to hate him for all of this, he knew what losing a sibling was like. He lost Markus in action not too long ago.

I hate that I'm so wrapped up in my own life these days. I want what everyone my age seems to have…a past. I could only think of one thing to do at this point. I have to take control of my life. I have to go and find my sister before I lose myself to Venjix.

I looked around for an opportunity to sneak away without calling attention to myself. Once everyone was upstairs, I'd make my move. I didn't want to tell Summer where I was headed. She'd only try to convince me not to go. I know she cares about me, but I can't be the reason she or anyone else gets hurt. I know my time against this virus is slowly deteriorating, but I have to see Tenaya again one more time to try and convince her I'm her brother…and I love her.

Now was my chance. It was late at night and I didn't see anyone around. I hopped in my car and prepared to drive off to find my life. I thought the wasteland would be a good place to start--away from anyone. It was also the last place I got through to Tenaya, and it only stood to reason that she would come back for something. Like me.

When I driving off, I couldn't stand being in my own head. Horrid thoughts kept coming to me in flashes. So I decided to blast my music as loud as the volume would go to drown out my thoughts.

"I'm going to bring you back, Tenaya. No matter what it takes." I said to myself in a low voice as my grip tightened on the steering wheel. I was more determined than ever to find her.

About halfway out of the city, I looked in my rearview mirror to see if I had any followers. And, just as I had expected, I did. Scott's red pride and joy was trailing a little ways behind me.

"Damn!" I cursed, pounding the wheel with my fist. Scott was getting closer to me the more I drove. It was obvious he wasn't going to stop until he caught up with me. So I shut off my music and brought my car to a halt. Sand blew all around me from my unplanned stop. I hopped out in a rage.

"Don't you ever get tired of following me?" I yelled at Scott, slamming my door behind me.

"I don't when you forget to clear it with me." He answered, slamming his door as well, making his way over to me.

"So, what, I have to ask the Fearless Leader whenever I want to go for a drive?" I snapped back. I was in no mood to have this argument right now. Time wasn't on my side and I still had to find Tenaya. "Why don't you just lock me in my room at night?" I shouted.

"Calm down, Dillon." Scott said in a firm voice. "You know when it comes to leaving the dome you need my consent." He leaned arrogantly against his car, folding his arms as he spoke. He thinks he's such a big shot. Who does he think he is? I can go _where _I want _when _I want to.

"Scott, I was just going for a relaxing drive, that's all." I lied, hoping that he wouldn't see right through me.

"Relaxing drive?" Scott asked with a raised brow. "Do you always turn the stereos to full blast when you want to relax?"

I was giving up. "What's it to you anyways, Scott?" I asked in defeat.

"Do I really have to say it?" he asked me.

"I know you will anyways." I answered irritably with a shrug.

He took a few steps closer to me than stopped. "I'm Team Leader. Everything has to be ran by me. It's not just for you, but for the safety of the whole team. I…just want to make sure everyone is safe."

I sighed and hopped to sit on the hood of my car. "The you might as well just destroy me." I said, darkness coming through in my voice.

"Destroy you?" Scott repeated in surprise. "Why would I want to destroy you?"

Did he really have to ask? Not only was I a threat to him and my entire team, I was a threat to the entire city of Corinth as well. I was like a time bomb ready to destroy anyone and everyone in my path for Venjix. It would just make things easier if he ended me right here.

"Because…everyone would be safer that way." I finally told him, staring at the ground.

"How do you figure?" Scott asked, sitting on the hood of his car as well.

"You heard Doctor K the other day. The virus had taken over forty percent of my body and there's no way to stop or cure it." I explained. "Pretty soon you guys will be trying to ward me off, begging me to come to my senses…just like I'm doing with Tenaya." Shame filled my voice as I said this. All my nightmares were like this, and pretty soon it would be a reality.

Scott just sighed and looked at me. I had no idea what he as going to say next. "Can I tell you something about the day you _did_ lose control in the lab?" he asked.

I preferred not to think about that day, I was the puppet Venjix always wanted me to be. "I know…" I answered, "I dismantled the Corinth shields for Venjix so his attack bots could get through."

"Yeah," Scott began, I had no idea where he was going with this, but so far, it was nowhere. "but you also grabbed Doctor K's new rifle weapon and prepared to blast us with it." he said, only making me feel worse. I never remembered what I happened when I lost control and I'm glad I couldn't.

"Your point?" I asked, very annoyed at this point.

"You aimed the rifle at us for quite a while. You had plenty of time to open fire on us, but you didn't." he told me. I didn't know that had happened. The last thing I remembered from that day was waking up on the floor with the blaster lying next to me.

"Because Doctor K imputed an override code to shut me down." I reminded him.

"No," Scott assured me, "something inside you held you back. Even when Venjix controlled you, you still couldn't find a way to destroy us."

"It won't be like that next time." I said suddenly. "It's stronger--I can feel it." I looked at my left hand in despise. If it weren't for that attack bot activating this virus, I wouldn't be in this position.

"Let me ask you something." Scott said, hopping from his car hood onto mine. "When Shifter shot that key into my chest and used me to attack all of you, do you blame me for that?" he asked me. I could tell he was curious about my answer. It _was_ like he was in my position, an outside for had control over him, trying to harm the ones he cared about.

"No," I answered, "that was Shifter doing all of that--not you."

"Exactly. He used my body to do his dirty work. It's the same deal with you and Venjix. Venjix is doing all of these evil things, he's just making you the delivery boy." Scott told me. I never really thought of things that way. I guess he had a point. I never remembered the evil I had done, I'd just wake up to the wreckage with an empty head. Maybe all of this _was_ Venjix's doing. And if that was the case, maybe I _could_ fight it.

"Same goes for your sister." Scott went on.

"Tenaya?" I asked him.

"The girl packs a punch but they're not hers." he said, demonstrating a punch.

A few moments of silence went by before I was able to ask my next question. "…Do you think I'll be able to get through to her?"

Scott just nodded. "If she's your sister, she's just as hard headed as you. Eventually she'll look for more in life other than Venjix." he said in a kinder tone than I had ever heard. "Because I know, deep down, that she's a good person."

"I really believe that." I answered lowly. Then I heard her voice.

"I _thought _I heard my ears burning." Tenaya sneered, walking up to me and Scott. We shot our heads up and I immediately jumped off of my car. "Care if I eavesdrop on your little heart to heart? Seeing as how I'm the star and all." she smirked.

"We were talking about how you're really a good person, Tenaya. And how you know on some level that I'm your brother." I said gently, walking over to her. I could tell Scott was watching the both of us carefully if something should break out.

"I have no family." She said coldly, "I exist only to serve Venjix." Her words cut me deep, where was the Tenaya I knew just a few days ago?

"Could you just come back to the Garage and let me explain everything." I said, nearly pleading at this point. "Just let me say my piece, then you can do or go wherever you want." I told her, slowly reaching out my hand to take hers. She looked at it like she was contemplating coming with me. Maybe I was finally getting through to her. "Please…just trust me."

After looking at my hand a moment more, she grabbed it tightly. "Sorry. I don't trust humans." she hissed, kicking me in the chest, hurling me backwards.

"Hey!" Scott exclaimed, jumping off of my car. He ran to help me up. "How can you do that?!" He screamed at my sister. "He's your brother! Your blood!" he glared at her in disgust. I never really thought Scott was one of my friends that cared, but he proved today that he did.

"Commence in battle with me or be destroyed." Tenaya ordered, completely unfazed by Scott's words.

"I'm not going to fight you, Tenaya." I said standing, rubbing my chest where she'd kicked me.

"Then be destroyed." She stated, raising her finger pistol and firing it at the two of us. We hurled through the air about ten feet before we finally fell to the ground. The sand felt like fire from lingering in the blazing sun. All I could do was roll on my back groaning. I can't believe she didn't remember anything that's happened. I looked to see Scott next to me, forcing himself to stand. He coughed some sand out of his mouth and glared daggers at Tenaya.

"Sorry, Dillon." He told me, pulling out his morpher. No, he couldn't… "He may not want to fight you, Tenaya," he said, sliding his card into his morpher, "but I'm a different story." Then he activated his morpher and called out, "RPM!! Get in gear!" Before I knew it, he was engulfed in his ranger form.

"Prepare for your demise, Ranger Red." She said coldly.

Then the two darted for one another. "Scott!" I screamed, "Please don't hurt her!" I pulled out _my_ morpher and activated it. "RPM!! Get in gear!" I yelled, getting thrown into my Black Ranger attire.

This was no ordinary battle. Whereas Scott was trying to defeat Tenaya, I on the other hand was just deflecting her blows, doing everything I could to keep her from harm. I couldn't fight her, something held me back. I don't care if she destroyed me, she's still my sister.

When she saw that she was getting nowhere with me, she began to just wail on Scott. Punches rained down on him one after another. He tried to retaliate with his Street Saber but to no avail. She just grabbed it from his grip and slashed him twice across the chest with it. Even I could admit that it was low, attacking one with his own weapon. But I still was conflicted, who should I help, my friend, or my sister?

I just reacted. I jumped between the two of them, activating my shield. "Invincibility Shield!" I screamed, relieving Scott from her repeated strikes. I only had five seconds and she wasn't letting up. "Tenaya, please!! You have to stop this! Come back to me!" I screamed.

"I won't stop until the Power Rangers are destroyed." She said emotionlessly, still pounding on us. Then, my shield blinked out allowing her to slash the two of us once more. We rolled into the sand once more, aching all over.

"Dillon, this isn't working, you have to use your Rocket Blaster!" Scott ordered me.

"I can't!" I groaned in response, struggling to stand.

"I know you love her, but she's going to destroy us!" He yelled at me.

My mind was racing. Scott and my suit powers were running out fast, and Tenaya was showing no signs of letting up. But I couldn't give up--not yet. Scott was too injured to move, so I knew he couldn't stop me from what I was about to do. I just rose to my feet and walked over to her. I was totally exposed.

"Tenaya, you have to stop this. This isn't you." I told her in as soft a voice as I could muster.

"I am Tenaya 15--that is my one and only name. Venjix is my master." She said coldly, slashing me again. I didn't care. I just pressed on.

"Tenaya," Slash. "please believe me." Slash. She just kept slashing me with Scott's saber harder each time.

"Dillon, stop this!" Scott called out to me. But I wouldn't stop.

"I'd listen to your little human friend!" She yelled, growing frustrated at me, only adding more power behind her attacks.

"You're human too!" I yelled.

"No!" she screamed, hitting me twice as hard. "I'm an attack bot!"

"No you're not!! You're my sister!!! don't you remember, Tenaya?!" I screamed. Then she hit me so hard, I dropped to one knee, my ranger powers leaving me completely. My whole body ached. I felt like I was hit by a train. But I still couldn't give up. "Don't you remember…loving me?" I asked weakly, panting softly.

"I'm a machine." She told me. "I can't love." Then she fired her finger pistol at me one last time, sending me flying again. Last thing I remember was crashing into something, and everything going black.


	10. One Week

**(Dillon's POV)**

"Dillon?" I heard a soft voice say. Could it be Tenaya? Had I finally gotten through to her? It didn't really sound like her. She sounded…softer. It was at this moment that I noticed everything was black. Was I asleep? Was I dead? I had no idea. "Dillon, can you hear me?" The feminine voice said again.

"Tenaya?" I asked the voice. I knew I was taking a shot in the dark with this, but it was worth a try.

A moment of silence passed before the voice answered. "…No." she said.

I figured. So, I said the next name that came to mind. "Summer?"

"Yes, it's Summer." She answered. She sounded somewhat pained when she spoke. I could tell that my calling her Tenaya had hurt her. I felt bad. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, I was just so hazy and out of it.

"Where am I?" I asked her next. I still wasn't aware where I was, or how I'd gotten there.

I felt her place a hand on my shoulder. "You're at the Garage. Can you open your eyes?"

I hadn't even realized that they were closed. I felt myself blink them open. I was greeted with a bright florescent light in my face. I squinted a little, then looked to my left to see Summer there. She had a look of worry on her face, the same look she had when Doctor K told me that my virus had advanced.

"What happened to me?" I asked, shifting in my place trying to find a source of comfort. I felt a sharp twinge of pain in my back as I moved. So I remained still. I saw Summer look over to Scott , just noticing he was in the room.

She started with a sigh. "You and Scott got into a fight with Tenaya." she reminded me. "You were sent flying, crashing into your car."

I remember now. I was trying everything in my power to get through to my sister and she blasted me. "Right." I answered lowly. "I have to go, I have to find her." I said, starting to rise from my bed. I had barely sat up when I felt my back punishing me for doing so. My whole body ached, but my back felt like it was in shambles. I let out a pained noise and felt Summer force me back lying down.

"No, no!" She scolded me. "You need to rest. You took some harsh blows out there."

It was then that I realized I had a large white bandage wrapped around my entire torso. I had a patch of gauze taped to my head as well. Summer was right, that last battle wasn't kind to me. I only wondered if Scott was as bashed as I was. When he walked next to my bed, trying to prevent me from leaving, my question was answered. All he had was a bandage wrapped around his wrist.

"You're not going anywhere." He informed me. "Right now you need to rest. Our team us only as strong as our weakest member, and right now, that's you." I could tell he was only messing with me, but it stung all the same.

"I can't help my sister from a bed." I said angrily. I hated feeling useless to my team. I wanted to help them, not be a burden.

"You can't help her period right now." Scott told me. Maybe he was right. What good would going back to Tenaya be right now if she would only throw me around some more?

"You just need some time to recover is all." Summer said sweetly, trying her best to muster up a smile.

"I'm afraid 'time' isn't an essence we have right now." Doctor K said, walking from her computer over to me. She was here too? This wasn't what I needed right now. If my virus has gotten any worse there's no telling what she would want to do with me.

"What is it, Doctor K?" Summer asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had a problem with her at the moment.

"I'm afraid that fight with Tenaya took quite a toll on Ranger Black's body, lowering his defenses to fight the virus." the doctor explained. It was strange, she sounded like she felt bad for me. I hated that. It never feels good to be pitied.

"Just get to the point, Doc." I snapped at her coldly.

She walked over to me with a sad look on her face. "Your body isn't fighting off the virus as strongly as it was before. Meaning…the virus has now spread to over fifty percent of your body."

"Half?" Summer choked out in a whimper. I saw Scott place a hand on her shoulder to try and console her. I felt like I was drowning.

I swallowed hard and brought my gaze downward. "How long does that give me?" I asked, my voice sounded like it was cracking. I was terrified to hear the answer.

"I'd give you about a week." Doc K answered. Remorse was in her voice more now than I had ever heard.

"A week?" Summer repeated in a whimper. It was clear to me that, as hard as all this was one me, it was taking a toll on her as well. It's my fault. I'm the one causing her pain. She looked down at me with sad eyes. I could tell that she had so much she wanted to tell me, but couldn't find the right words. She wanted to tell me that things would all work out and that Doctor K would find a cure, but truth was, there wasn't. I couldn't bring myself to look in those eyes any longer. I just stared a hole into the ceiling, pounding the bed I lay on.

Scott walked up to Doctor K. "Isn't there anything we can do? Anything to at least slow it down?" he asked.

Doctor K just let out a hard sigh. "There _may _be a way, but it's highly risky." she warned us. I was just thrilled to hear that progress was being made. I don't care what the risks are, life isn't worth living like this.

"What?" I asked quickly, shifting my gaze to her.

"What is it Doctor K?" Summer asked, hope slowly seeping into her voice.

Doctor K just went to her computers and began typing. "If my calculations are correct, the blaster attached to Tenaya 15's fore and middle fingers was the cause of speeding up Ranger Black's virus." she explained.

"Meaning…?" Scott chimed in.

"If you could somehow retrieve Tenaya 15's finger pistol and bring it to me, I may be able to hack it, thus slowing down the growth rate of Ranger Black's virus--maybe even stop it." She explained. I felt a wave of relief flow over me. There was finally a cure out there, or at least a possible one.

"Wait…" I began slowly as a thought struck me. "If it can help me, then it can help my sister too…right?"

"Given the right amount of programming, I believe it's possible." She said. Her words made me smile a little. I just may get a happy ending in this after all.

XXX

Inside the Venjix Barricades, the super computer admired himself in his new form. It felt good to be covered in black and golden armor that was harder than diamonds. He stood at almost eight feet tall, with a staff just as long. He felt unstoppable. He thought this image suited him more, it was tough and sturdy like he was.

Kilobyte was in the lair as well. He just glanced at Venjix in mere disgust. He never liked being one of his assistants. He figured he was better and strong enough to be in the front lines himself. But he decided to play along with Venjix's leader game. He was still pretty banged up from his fight with the rangers and didn't want to go on another mission for a while. He never really liked Venjix, much less liked serving him. In his mind, he was cooking up a plan to overthrow Venjix and take the world for his own. He felt even more disgusted when he saw Venjix's right had walk into the room lugging a briefcase behind her.

"For you, Master Venjix." Tenaya said with a bow, handing over the case.

"Excellent." Venjix hissed while taking the case. When he opened it, a bright light hit his face as it did Tenaya.

"What is that, Master?" Kilobyte asked, envious that _he_ wasn't the one who got it.

"The key to defeating the rangers." Venjix answered in delight. He removed the object from the case to find a large vial containing a golden-like fluid.

"Is that some kind of potion?" Kilobyte asked, of all the things he pictured Venjix pulling out of the case, this wasn't one of them. "I don't see how a little bottle can bring the ranger's downfall."

"Foolish Kilobyte." Venjix chuckled. "You don't know the power this little 'potion' holds." he walked over to him, putting the vial in his face. "When we finish this secret weapon we've been working so long on, we'll infuse it with this, fire it into the Corinth air supply, sapping all the life energy from everyone inside--including the rangers. We'll keep the shields lowered the whole time--no escape." he explained.

Kilobyte sighed in defeat. Even _he_ had to admit that this wasn't a bad plan. It seemed to be perfect. "Fascinating. But, how long does the process take?" he asked.

"Approximately one week." Venjix responded.

"Then let's get to work." Kilobyte answered with a wicked grin.


	11. The Mission

**(Dillon's POV)**

When I woke up the next morning I felt like I'd been hit by a train. I guess that fight with my sister had taken more of a toll on me than I had realized. But I really didn't care, today was the day I was going to get my life back, not to mention my sister. Or at least that's what I hoped. Time wasn't exactly in my favor, the virus had already taken over half of my body and I only had a week to make sure everything panned out. Needless to say I was anxious.

I hurried getting dressed and bolted downstairs. There, I saw everyone casually eating breakfast. They all rose at attention when they saw me. Summer was the first one to approach me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked me.

"Fine." I lied. But my banged up disposition was the least of my worries. "I just want to head out."

"You remember the plan?" Scott asked from behind the table.

"Yes." I answered with an eye roll. He had told me the plan over and over. I had it memorized. "I head out into the Wastelands to lure out Tenaya. I wait for her to engage in battle with me and equip her finger pistol--that's where you all come in." I explained, showing I knew what to do inside and out.

"And make things--" "EXPLODE!!" Gem, then Gemma shouted, high-fiving one another.

"No." I glared at them. Usually I thought their childlike naiveté was charming, but right now, I wanted them to pay attention.

"Aye. No explosions, no harming Tenaya, we just intercept her, and remove her finger pistol." Flynn chimed in. At least somebody understood. Flynn was smarter than I thought.

"And if all goes according to plan, She'll follow us back here to retrieve her pistol, thus giving us the pistol--" Ziggy began.

"And my sister." I finished for him.

"Correct-o!" Ziggy answered with a thumbs up.

Suddenly we heard Doctor K enter the room. "I just want to go on record to say that not only are we putting Ranger Black in danger in his weakened state, but the entire city of Corinth." she protested. I knew that Doc K never really cared for me, but I thought she would put that aside to help me. I don't care if I was in danger, but I was going to make sure no one else gets hurt, especially by me.

"Dillon is a part of our team Doctor K, and we're going to help in in any way we can. Sometimes it's worth taking risks." Summer interjected. It felt good having her in my corner.

"Even if it means risking your lives for someone that may inevitably end up working for Venjix himself?" Doctor K retaliated.

Silence fell over the whole team. They didn't know how to answer that question. Yeah, it was true, I _am_ a major threat to everyone--I _knew_ that. But I wasn't doing this for me, I was doing this for my sister, and as far as I was concerned, she was worth it. I just hoped the other rangers believed in me more than Doctor K does.

"Sorry, Doc. We have to go." Scott told her, much to my surprise. Normally, he'd be siding with Doctor K, worrying about all the danger I was putting the city in because of my 'emotional investments'. But he wasn't this time, and I didn't have time to wonder why. I just wanted to get this over with, so I hoped in my car and drove.

XXX

I took my car alone to the Wastelands while the others followed a little ways behind me. I didn't feel as good as I should about this mission. Doctor K was under my skin more than I though. She was right when she said I was putting everyone in danger, I was. But this was something I had to do--for Tenaya and myself.

Even driving was a strain on my body. Doctor K warned me that I should have rested in bed a day or two before attempting something like this. But that was just too much time, I didn't want to waste a second.

When I made it to my destination, I hopped out of the car, slamming the door. I looked behind me to see if I saw the others--I didn't. They were keeping up with their end pretty well, and now it was my turn.

"Tenaya!!" I shouted, looking around for her. "Come on out, Tenaya! You want a fight? I'll give you one!!" Although I never planned on fighting her, I thought that taunting her out was the only way to get her to show. I've tried the nice approach over and over with no avail. But I wasn't going to hurt her, and the others weren't either.

Next thing I felt was a blast nailing me, making me crash to the ground. I screamed in anguish, the fall only intensifying my injuries. When I looked up from the ground, there she stood.

"Tenaya…" I said, breathing heavily, trying to force myself up.

"You rang?" She asked, still pointing her pistol at me, ready to fire at any given moment.

I finally made it to my knees. "I came to…ask you one more time to…to come back with me." I begged her, trying to keep my balance.

She just snickered at me as she began to circle me. "You're very persistent, Ranger Black. But as I've already told you, I work for Venjix and my mission is to destroy you, your friends, and that pathetic little dome you live in." she said coldly.

I just sighed and stood to my feet. "If that's how it has to be." I said, pulling out my Rocket Blaster, aiming it at her. A full-on bluff. I just hope the others were ready. We just stood there at a stalemate with one another, aiming our weapons at each other.

"Is this a duel?" She asked with delight.

"Works for me." I answered lowly.

"We fire when the sun comes from behind that cloud." She said, pointing to the sky. I saw a cloud with the bright sun behind it, waiting for it to peak out. My hand began to shake as my nerves were getting the better of me. But I just nodded at her, feigning confidence. All of my hopes were riding on Scott and the team.

Tenaya and I watched the bright clouds just waiting for the sun to show itself. When a glimmer of light was visible, Tenaya immediately fired. I threw my blaster aside and activated my Invincibility Shield. This was it. The Rangers only had five seconds to intercept her.

Five.

She was firing hard and fast at me.

Four.

In my weakened state, it was all I could do to ward her off. Her blasts kept pelting on me in sheets.

Three.

My shield was now started to buckle from the blasts.

Two.

I felt the heat of the blast seeping through my shield and my suit. It brought me to my knees. If I was hit, I was a goner.

One.

Just as my shield blinked out, the blasts stopped. I fell forward, trying to catch my breath. I was just relieved that the blasts had stopped. Scott and the others had a tight hold on her to restrain her. I watched Scott grab her arm.

"Don't hurt her!" I shouted, although as exhausted as I was, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't hear me. Scott and Flynn held her still as Summer grabbed her finger pistol off of her. Ziggy, Gem and Gemma all stood by ready to act if they need to.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" I heard Tenaya scream. I hated it. I watched her struggle to break free of them.

"Got it!" Summer cheered in victory.

"Get off of me!!" Tenaya screamed again, trying to pull away. I hated that she had to go through all of this, but it was for the best--for both of us.

"Get that back to the lab, now!" Scott ordered her.

"You got it!" Summer responded, rushing to her bike and speeding off.

"Gem, Gemma, you go with her to. Make sure that pistol gets back to the Garage!" Scott instructed next, still trying to hold a bucking Tenaya.

"We're on--" "--Our way!" Gem and Gemma responded. They hopped on their bikes as well and followed after Summer.

I was relived that Summer had some extra muscle to keep her and the pistol safe. As soon as they were gone, Tenaya freed herself from Scott and Flynn's grip and began to fight them. I was determined to keep her safe so I tried to muster up the strength to stand.

"You'll pay for that!" Tenaya growled at them.

Suddenly, we all heard Doctor K's voice come over our morphers. "Rangers, you must hurry and disengage Tenaya 15 if you want to bring her back here."

"One thing at a time here, Doc!" Flynn answered as he dodged Tenaya's fists.

They needed my help, so I rose to my feet. "Guys!" I shouted, letting them know I was on my way. And I began to run to them. "Just hang on, I'm--" I began, but pained cries escaped my mouth. The pain in my head was so intense it was blinding. I crumbled back to the sand, pounding my fists hard into the ground. I gritted my teeth together to shut out the pain. I couldn't hear or see anyone around me. I was slipping away.

Suddenly, Ziggy caught on to my anguish. "Dillon!" he shouted, darting over to me. "What is it, buddy? Is it the Venjix Virus thing?" I barely heard him ask me.

"Ziggy, what is it?" Scott yelled over to us. He grabbed Tenaya's arm to keep her at bay for a few seconds.

"It's Dillon! I think the virus is acting up again!" He yelled back. "Um…" he began, kneeling next to me writhing on the ground, "Dillon old pal? It's me, your old pal Ziggy, the Z-Man. Look, we've been through an awful lot togeth--" he was suddenly cut off by my grabbing his throat.

I couldn't control myself. I wanted nothing more than to stop, but something wanted the rangers destroyed, and I wasn't going to stop until I did. Where was Summer? Where was she to help me out of this?

"Come on, Dil, let's talk about this!" Ziggy pleaded, gasping for air. But I just threw him to the ground. Now it was him on the ground, coughing and rubbing his throat.

"Oh great." Scott mumbled as he ran over to me.

"Wait!" Flynn cried. He didn't think he could handle Tenaya by himself, but he would have to try. She kicked at him and he ducked to dodge.

Scott immediately ran to help Ziggy up. "You alright, man?" he asked him.

"Me, uh, oh yeah!" He stammered, still trying to catch his breath.

"Look at his eyes." Scott said, pointing at me. I knew what it was. My eyes were red with evil, meaning I had lost all my inhibitions and control. "Get ready." Scott whispered to Ziggy.

I bolted as fast as I could at them, ready to attack. I swung my fists as hard as I could at them, wanting to end them right here and now. I wanted to destroy my friends. I thrusted both of my arms forward, trying to hit Scott, but he grabbed them.

"Dillon, stop!" he screamed at me. Just like my nightmares. But I wouldn't stop, his restraint only made me fight harder. I sensed Ziggy creeping up behind me, so I spun around and kicked him in the stomach, making him stagger backwards.

Scott then grabbed me from behind. I leapt high into the air and flipped to kick him off of me. I nailed him in the ribs and he crashed hard into the dry ground. Two rangers down. I looked to my left to see Flynn fighting Tenaya, this only enraged me further. I ran over to him and grabbed his arm and pulled him off of her.

Flynn then began to focus on me. I deflected his weak punches and kicked him backwards, and answered by sending a flurry of punches to his chest. I finished by kicking him over to his friends. I watched them lie in their heap.

"Nicely done." Tenaya told me. "Venjix knew what he was doing." I didn't say anything. I just motioned that she was done here and she could go. She smirked at my work. "You might not be so bad after all." She said, then walked away. It was over.

After she was gone, the pain came rushing back to me. After I shook it away I looked over to see my friends groaning on the ground. I was relieved to be back in control, but it was obvious that I had done this, even though I didn't remember it. I looked behind me to see Tenaya walking away, too far away to catch. I hated myself. I pounded the ground as hard as I could, denting it.

"What have I done?" I asked, mortified by my actions.


	12. Pistol Poaching

**(Summer's POV)**

I had to hurry. I had this pistol in my hands and I knew it was the key to curing Dillon and Tenaya and just in time too. I have to admit I was a bit thrown when Doctor K told us how little time Dillon had left. That didn't help with the pressure of getting this pistol back unharmed. But I wasn't going to screw this up. Scott and the others were doing their part keeping Tenaya at bay, so I was going to do mine. I just hoped they were okay, they seemed to be struggling with her when I left. They're strong, I just hope strong enough.

I felt safer having Gem and Gemma with me. I had my mind on other things at the moment and can't focus as hard as I should be. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to Dillon if I didn't get this to the Garage in time.

"That was--" "--awesome!" Gem and Gemma cheered, high-fiving one another. They loved how smoothly this whole operation went and not to mention the explosions that came along with it. I found their love for explosions somewhat endearing, they turned something negative into a positive. Protecting Corinth meant a lot to them.

"Summer? Are you--" "--okay?" they asked me. "You're awfully--" "--quiet." They added. I hadn't said much since we made our escape. I wouldn't feel at ease until this weapon was in Doctor K's possession. I was also thinking a lot about Dillon. I knew this was his only hope, and I just prayed it would work.

"I'm fine." I answered softly. "I really just want to get this back to Doctor K." I looked at the pistol in my hands. I thought of all the chaos it had caused over all this time, and the sanctuary it could bring at the same time.

"Then let's kick--" "--it up a notch!!" The pair shouted eagerly. They stopped their bikes, me doing the same. Once we dismounted Gemma grabbed my hand a pulled me along with her and Gem. Up ahead, we saw Gem's Chicken Zord waiting for us, and seeing how it doubled as a helicopter, it would get us to our destination a lot faster. So I had no objections.

We all boarded the Zord and it took off, faster than I thought it would. Once we were settled in, I heard Doctor K's voice come through our morphers. Thanks to Gem, we were no close enough to the Dome so she could contact us.

"Rangers Gold, Silver and Yellow, do you read me?" She asked us.

"Loud and clear, Doctor K." I answered back.

"We're you able to retrieve the weapon we need?" She asked next.

"You know it!!" Gemma replied excitedly.

"We made that Tenaya go BOOM!!" Gem…exaggerated.

I let out a soft chuckle to their excitement. "Everything's going fine so far here. Are the others okay?"

A moment of silence filled the air a moment before she answered. "I'm glad to here things are going according to plan for you...because Ranger Black may have less time than we thought." she finally told us. I felt a knot in my chest. I cant believe something happened so close after we'd left.

I was quiet for a moment, as were Gem and Gemma. "What? I thought you said he had a week." I said in a nervous voice. I felt panic starting to feel my body.

"It seems that after you, Gem and Gemma left, Ranger Operator Series Black lost control of his actions and attacked Ranger Operators Red, Blue and Green." She explained.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought things were okay for now. I had no idea if he or the others were alright. I just wished I had been there to try and talk him out of it like I did the other night. I tried so hard to succeed that I ended up failing.

"Well, is he okay--are _they_ okay?" I asked quickly, hoping she had the answer I wanted to hear.

"Calm down Ranger Yellow. Ranger Black only lost control for about five minutes before he came back to his senses. But there's no telling when the virus will resurface again." She warned us.

I just sat there for a moment, trying to fathom what she had just told me. "Alright…" I said dryly. "Um…we should be there in about--" I began when a sudden jolt shook the Zord violently.

"What was--" "--that?!" Gem and Gemma exclaimed in horror. I looked out the window and saw a hoard of Venjix attack drones honing in on us. Great. I couldn't believe of all times for him to attack, he chose now.

"Attack drones!" I shouted. "What do we do?" Normally, I wouldn't have panicked in a situation like this, but our situation was more dire than before.

"This is _my_ Zord!" Gem said with determination as he piloted. "I'll turn these drones into scrap metal!"

"Make 'em go KABOOM, Gem!!" Gemma cheered him on.

All I could think to do was keep the pistol safe. I held it close to my chest to protect it when another unexpected jolt shook the Zord. It threw me forward and the pistol flung from my hands and out the window.

"No!!" I shrieked, trying to grab for it. But I was too late--it was gone. "Damn it!" I screamed, hitting the side of the wall.

"Where's the--" "--pistol?" Gem and Gemma asked. "Is it--" "--gone?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." I said lowly. I was more determined than I ever remember being. In one swift motion, I leapt out the window after the pistol. As I fell through the air, I grabbed my morpher and activated it. "RPM! Get in gear!!" I shouted, morphing as I descended. In mid-air, I spotted the pistol and was able to catch it. "Gotcha!" I yelled in relief. But I didn't have time to have a reprieve, I was falling fast. So I did the only thing I could think of. "Surge Attack!!" I screamed, this small boost gave me a boost before I met with the ground. Thankfully, it caused me to only fall from a couple feet.

I came to a rolling stop on the ground, and when I finally stopped I looked at the object I was clutching. It was the pistol--still in tact. I sigh in relief as I held it. But this wasn't over yet. I felt the ground tumble beneath me. I looked up to see a drone raining blasts on me. But I didn't come this far to fail now.

I pulled out my Nitro Blaster and fired it mercilessly at the drone attacking me. The kickback from my blaster was hard to take using only one arm. I screamed when I felt a beam clip my firing arm. I involuntarily dropped the pistol, hurling it far away from me. I grabbed my arm to realize it was only a flesh wound that burned like crazy.

I stood and ran for the pistol, only to have a drone swoop down in front of me and grab it before I could. It took of with it seconds later.

"No!!" I cried, hitting my knees is dismay. I pounded the ground in fury. I had failed. I failed myself, my team, but worst of all, I had failed Dillon. I just wanted to stay here and let the drones destroy me, when I heard Gem call my name.

"Summer!!" He called out. I looked up from the ground.

"Catch!" Gemma shouted next, throwing something my way. It was the pistol falling from the sky into my hands. I gasped in rejoice. "The pistol!" I exclaimed. "But…how?" I asked.

"Later--" Gem told me with a smile. "--get in!" Gemma said next, lowering a rope ladder to me from the Zord. I grabbed it and they pulled me up into the Zord with them. The weapon and the three of us were safe and sound.

"Now let's get this--" "--to the Garage!" The Gold and Silver Rangers said happily. Then we drove off together, weapon in hand. We just may be able to save Dillon and Tenaya after all.


	13. Seven to Six

**(Scott's POV)**

We were finally back at the Garage. The drive home felt as bumpy as a rollercoaster, any little jolt send my body into an aching rage. It was hard for me to breathe, every breath I took felt like I was being punched in the ribs. I was beaten to a pulp. I took the brunt of it compared to Ziggy and Flynn, which was okay, I did after all have the most training. And my being the team leader and all, it was my duty to protect my team from any harm I could.

I doubt Dillon felt any better than the rest of us. I know he was the one that had inflicted our injuries, but having to constantly be fighting a super computer virus (and losing) couldn't have been an easy task. After the battle, I could tell Dillon felt like garbage. He didn't want to be any where near us, he just trailed a few miles behind us on the ride home. I don't want to say that I pitied the guy, but hearing him look at us and ask himself, "What have I done?" made me feel a little bad for him.

I know that it wasn't really him fighting us, that he was just being controlled, I just wished that he didn't pack such a powerful punch when he was.

I walked into the Garage holding my side. I had no idea if my ribs were broken or not, but it sure felt like it. Ziggy and Flynn seemed okay for the most part just some bumps and bruises that Doctor K would be able to heal in no time.

Even when we were in the Garage Dillon kept his distance. I wanted to tell him that he could come closer, but I knew he wouldn't. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd walk into a wall. His eyes were wide and full of shame, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. In a way, I knew how he felt. I once had an outside source take over my body and it's no picnic.

As a team leader, I was taught that you should never leave another teammate behind, and also, never to subject them to any unnecessary danger. But what did Dillon attacking us count as? What was I supposed to do? Should I put Dillon somewhere where he couldn't be a threat, or would that be considered some sort of betrayal? There were too many questions and not enough ways to answer them.

I, among others on our team, was lost. I had no idea on how to keep Dillon as well as the rest of the team safe. I was coming up empty in solutions. I wish someone else would make the choices for me.

"Hello, Rangers." Doctor K greeted us. The tone of her voice was strange. I couldn't tell if she was furious or relieved. Summer, Gem and Gemma were on their way back with the pistol, so everything seemed okay for the most part.

"Doctor K, before you say anything, let me explain." I began, only to be interrupted.

"Explain?" She repeated with a scoff. "Your actions on the battlefield today were careless. You put your entire team in _severe_ danger. You're lucky the outcome wasn't worse than it was." she scolded me. As if I didn't feel bad enough.

I looked over to see Dillon sitting in a chair with his head down. His face was worse than it was right after the battle. He was hating himself and it showed.

"Look, the team was out there knowing full well that--" I began again, only to be cut off by my sharp wince. My side was killing me and I felt on the verge of passing out. Doctor K just rolled her eyes and walked over to me. She placed her hand on my ribcage to feel if they were broken. Her light touch was enough to make me want to scream.

"Well, Ranger Red, among other things it appears you have two broken ribs, thanks to Ranger Black's handiwork." She said coldly glaring at Dillon and guiding me to a chair.

Dillon sprung up from his chair. "I know I screwed up today, Doc, but don't talk about me like I'm not even here." he snapped at her.

"Fine." She retaliated, walking over to him. "You're chaotic behavior almost annihilated your fellow teammates. You lost control to the extent that you broke Ranger operator Series Red's ribs. Is that what you wanted?" she asked.

I thought that question was harsh and unfair. I know I had two broken ribs, but I still found it in me to trust Dillon. Why couldn't she? I could tell he was crushed by her outburst.

"Whoa, whoa!!" Ziggy interjected, running over to them. "I know Dillon banged us up a little bit on the field today, but we _are_ still alive."

"And Summer got the pistol. That's the most important thing, right?" Flynn chimed in.

"Wrong." Doctor K answered, still glaring at Dillon. "I'm sorry, Ranger Black, but I have no choice…" she trailed off.

The next thing I saw was my dad and General Hicks busting into the room with a pair of handcuffs. They grabbed Dillon's arms and forced them behind him.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Dillon yelled.

I sat up quickly as I could. "Whoa, Dad, what's going on here?" I asked, wanting to stand, but my body forcing me to do otherwise.

"What should have been done months ago." He answered, clicking the cuffs closed.

Then, Summer, Gem and Gemma all ran cheerfully into the room with the pistol in their hands. They couldn't have picked a worse time to show up. I knew this would kill Summer. Their expressions quickly changed when they saw Dillon being arrested.

"Wow…what's" "--going on here?" Gem and Gemma asked in confusion.

Summer immediately ran over to Dillon and turned to Doctor K. "Doctor K, what _is_ this?" she asked.

"Me taking necessary action." She answered simply.

"Necessary?!" Summer repeated in disgust. "How do you consider this necessary?!"

"I hurt the team…and let Tenaya get away." Dillon answered for her. His voice was low and defeated.

"So you arrest him?!" Summer shouted at her. "What happened to being a team?!"

"I have to do what's best for the team, Ranger Yellow." Doctor K reminded her. She didn't seem the least bit apologetic for what she was doing.

"Best for the team, or best for you?" Summer snapped back.

An couple silent moments of tension passed. "How long do you plan on keeping him in custody?" I asked.

"Until I finish the modifications to the pistol." Doctor K told me.

"What about my sister?" Dillon asked. "How can I save her if I'm locked up?" His anger was turning into that of worry. Even in a predicament like this all he could think about was saving Tenaya.

"Given your actions on the field today, I doubt there's any way you can help her." Doctor K told him bluntly.

Dillon didn't say anything. His breathing just intensified. It was obvious he was being torn up inside by all of this and Doctor K wasn't doing a thing but making it worse. I could tell in his face that there was so much he wanted to say in that moment, but didn't.

"Come on, Ranger Black." Dad said, he and Hicks beginning to pull him away.

"Wait!" Summer cried, running after them.

"No, Summer." Dillon told her. "It's okay. Doctor K's right. I'm a danger to you all, look what I've done to all of you. Maybe being locked up is what's best. That way I can't hurt anyone anymore. You all were a team just fine before me, and you will be now. I can just sit there alone being nothing more than Doctor K wants me to be…" he said sadly, looking to the doctor, "…just a machine."

Then my dad and Hicks took him away. He went without struggle, he did what he had to do and what was best for the team, whether it was what he wanted or not. Then they were gone. The Power Rangers just went from seven to six.

What concerned me the most was the look on Summer's face when he left. She looked like she had been punched in the stomach. She just turned to Doctor K with a look of rage and sadness.

"How could you do this?" she asked.

"I did what was needed." Doctor K answered, "What was necessary."

"You mean easy!" Summer shouted back.

"Hey, now, I think we all need to--" Ziggy began, coming between them to bring the peace.

"Shut up!" The two yelled at him in response simultaneously. He just stepped back and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Ranger Yellow, I'd appreciate it if you didn't question my methods." Doctor K told Summer next.

"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw my friend in trouble in prison!" Summer yelled back.

"Ranger Operator Series Black--" Doctor K started.

"Dillon!" Summer interrupted her. "His name is Dillon! That's Scott, that's Ziggy, Flynn, Gem, Gemma and I'm Summer!" She yelled, pointing at every one of us. You threw _Dillon_ in jail for no good reason!"

"I think we all need to calm down." Flynn jumped in. "Let's just focus on the positive, we're all alive."

"No thanks to Ranger Black." Doctor K said under her breath.

"Enough!!" I shouted, standing from my chair. The pressure on my body right now was more than I could bear. But I had to stop this. "What we need to focus on is getting the pistol completed. Until then, there's nothing…" I faded out. The room was getting brighter and I felt breathless. I fell to the floor, Summer and Flynn running to me.

"Are you okay, mate?" Flynn asked me with concern. He and Summer helping me up.

I grabbed my side as I was raised. "Ye-yeah." I answered painfully. "Just had a dizzy spell there." I assured them.

"Should we take him to the infirmary?" Ziggy asked.

"Yeah, let's go." Summer answered, she and Flynn helping me to the back.

"Ranger Red needs immediate medical attention, can you handle it Ranger Yellow?" Doctor K asked her, feeling somewhat foolish for having it out with her while I was suffering.

"You got it. I'll do my job," she said, handing the pistol to Doctor K, "now you do yours." Then we all headed back to the infirmary. I was just relieved that the quarrel was over.

Summer was always the most medically inclined compared to the rest of us. She could suture any wound or bandage any sprain, so I knew I was in good hands with her. When we made it to the infirmary, I immediately climbed into the bed. My eyes were clenched closed tightly. Flynn and Ziggy left the room, leaving Summer to her work. She grabbed a syringe and came over to me.

"This should help with the pain." She told me, injecting me with it. I could tell her mind was elsewhere, so I just nodded in response. Frankly, it was all I was capable of at the moment. Seconds later, the pain began to fade and I felt at ease.

"She just doesn't understand." I said suddenly.

"What?" she asked in confusion, grabbing a brace from a cabinet.

"Doctor K--she just doesn't know what it's like to really care about someone." I told her. "To be willing to give your life for someone in a split second, or to feel the pain they feel. She just doesn't get that it hurt you putting Dillon in prison. She thinks it's the only way to keep us safe--not just physically." I explained.

I saw her pause for a moment. "What do you mean?" she asked, beginning to place the brace around me.

"Doctor K knows that you and Dillon love one another, and this is her own unique way of keeping you both safe of heartache. She hates herself for not having a cure for the Venjix Virus, especially since she had a hand in creating it. She knows the dangers of Dillon losing control to Venjix." I said. I noticed her work slow as I mentioned Dillon's possible fate. I felt like a jerk for wording it the way I did. "In her mind, she feels that keeping Dillon away, could protect you both in the end."

She nodded slightly and looked at me. "When did you get so sentimental? Have you been watching those talk shows I showed you?" I was happy to see her smile at me.

"Hey, I'm not the team leader for nothing." I smiled back with a small chuckle.

"Thank you, Scott." She told me softly. She fastened the brace and patted it. "You're all set, but just rest for a while. You'll feel a lot better in the morning."

"You're the boss." I joked. I closed my eyes and I heard Summer start to leave. But before she was gone I opened my eyes. "Summer?" I called out to her. She stopped and turned to me.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"He'll be alright." I told her.

She just nodded slightly and smiled. "Goodnight, Scott." she said, flipping the light off and closing the door. Before I knew it, I was asleep.


	14. Blood and Cells

**(Dillon's POV)**

I couldn't believe I was back here again. I sure didn't miss it from the last time. I saw cells all around me, a lot of them holding the same people they were when Ziggy and I were here months ago. Colonel Truman was escorting me to my cell, pushing me along as we went. I didn't blame him for being so rough with me. I broke his son's ribs and who knows what else.

I had already gone through the 'orange jumpsuit change', now making me look no different from the rest of the criminals in this place. To them, I was nothing more than a nuisance. But I guess I wasn't as far off from these people as I thought. I had attacked my friends on more than one occasion, broke Scott's ribs, and ruined the slim chance I had at saving my sister from Venjix.

When we finally got to my cell, Colonel Truman unlocked the doors. The cell was empty, leaving me alone again. But I guess I had to get used to it.

"Here's your stop." Truman told me, pushing me into the small room.

"How cozy." I answered with an eye roll. As I headed into the cell, Truman stopped me from entering with a hand to my chest. "What?" I asked with annoyance.

"We need to keep all of your personal items, such as your morpher." He said, extending a hand to take my belongings.

"So that's it?" I asked. "You lock me in here and strip me of everything I have?"

"It's procedure. You can either hand them over, or I can remove them from you." he informed me, his hand still out in the air.

I sighed and reluctantly strapped my morpher off of my wrist and handed it to him. I guess in here I wasn't a ranger, only a prisoner. I gave him a look of confusion when I saw his hand still waiting for something.

"And the watch." He said.

I didn't say anything. I just glared at him like I wanted to tear him apart and pulled my watch from my pocket. I looked at it one last time before I finally handed it over to him. He handed the objects to Hicks who just threw them into a small plastic bag. That was all my most prized possessions meant to them--nothing.

"Is that it?" I asked in a cold voice. "You've already taken away my friends, morpher and my pocket watch. Sure there isn't anything else?"

"Just get it." Truman instructed me. Once I was inside, I watched the barred door come to a close. I was back in my cage. "This is for your own good, son. Even though it may not seem like it." he told me. I guess he was trying to soften the blow a little. But right now, I didn't want to hear it. I wanted to be out of here, with my belongings and save my sister. I didn't dignify him with a response, I just turned my gaze to the floor and he walked away. I just stood there for a moment, visions of my past outburst flashing in my head. Me blasting my friends to the ground and Tenaya walking away. This was all my fault. I had no one to blame but myself. I shook my head to try and free myself from these thoughts. I looked at my left wrist and grabbed it--no morpher. I wasn't a ranger anymore.

XXX

In the Venjix Barricades, Tenaya 15 walked in, a smirk plastered on her face. She was greeted by Kilobyte looking all but pleased.

"You're in big trouble." he told her in a sneer.

"Trouble?" She asked. "What for? Not letting the rangers capture me?" she said sarcastically. She had never cared for Kilobyte and wasn't in the mood to hear his lectures. She figured he was only jealous because Venjix preferred her assistance to his.

"For this." He answered, grabbing her right arm and showing her her hand, not to mention her missing finger pistol. Her eyes widened when she saw what she was missing.

"My finger pistol…" she muttered, it just hit her why the rangers were trying to restrain her in the first place. They wanted her pistol, and what worried her was why.

"Exactly." Kilobyte replied in snide. "Not only did you fail in defeating the rangers, you lost the most powerful weapon Venjix issued to you. You should be ashamed." He loved talking down to her, and seeing her squirm about what Venjix would do to her.

"He'll just assemble another one for me." She told him, jerking her hand away. A lump was in her throat.

"I doubt it. He's already getting tired of 'repairing' you. Hearing that you've ruined something else he created…well, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell him." Kilobyte chuckled, slicking his hair back.

Tenaya wasn't one to be intimidated, in fact she hated it. So she got right in his face. "Then don't." she warned him. She then walked away to go face Venjix, she wasn't going to let one mistake ruin her rank in this operation.

Tenaya felt nervous walking into Venjix's room, but she tried her best not to show it. The doors booming shut behind her made her jump. She figured that Kilobyte had already told him everything and that he wouldn't be happy. When she didn't see him right away, her nerves shot up even more.

"Master Venjix?" She asked carefully, looking around the room for her master. Then a sudden blast lifted her from her feet made her crash into the ground--hard. She yelped out in pain when she met with the floor. She rolled over to her side and whimpered.

"Tenaya 15!" Venjix yelled in a booming voice. He then emerged from behind a small steel pillar that laid at the front of the room. "I hope you have an explanation for your actions on the battlefield today." he warned her.

"I handled them the best I could, but they ambushed me. They were more than I could handle." She groaned, forcing herself up. She took hold of her right should that she had been shot on.

"And I hear that you've lost a crucial piece of machinery as well!" he yelled, turning to her, his cape flowing harshly with his motions. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"What can I do to fix things?" She asked quickly, praying that he wouldn't blast her again.

"Just wait for further instructions--_then _I'll figure out what to do with you!" he grumbled, storming out of the room in a huff.

Tenaya just stood there for a moment, kicking herself for what she'd done. She shook her head in shame. She winced when she felt a sharp pain coming from the shoulder she was holding. When she removed it, she saw a red substance on her glove.

"Blood?" she asked herself in confusion. "How can I be…bleeding?" She was then hit with flashing memories of her own. She heard a voice clearly in her mind.

"_You're my sister."_

She heard Dillon's voice say. She saw how he saved her from falling off a cliff in a prior battle, and her meeting the rangers at the Garage wanting to help them defeat Venjix.

"So it's true…Ranger Black is…my brother?" She asked herself. Just as she was about to submit to her memories, she felt herself lurch forward. Her eyes flashed electronically. "Enough of this nonsense." she spoke in a cold and robotic voice. "Venjix is my master and Venjix alone."

What she hadn't realized was that when Venjix reprogrammed her, he made it so whenever she had a memory from her past, her robotic implants would kick in only that much more. When she was cleared of her memories, she stood, dusting herself off and walking over to her re-charger to heal her of her injuries, awaiting further instructions.


	15. Red Ranger Reasoning

**(Summer's POV)**

Waking up without him here was weird. I felt a sense of emptiness throughout myself. I know Dillon was sitting alone in a cell trying not to let the virus overtake him. I wished I was there with him. If I was able to talk him out of it once, I knew there was a way I could again. But locking him up was cruel, there he had nothing more to do than just wait for the evil to take over him. It was only a matter of time.

I know Scott told me that Doctor K meant well, but that didn't help me. I still felt horrible about all of this. Dillon had to spend what little time he had left alone with no one to help him through it. So it was hard for me to see the bright side of things. Dillon isn't a criminal, so he shouldn't be in jail. Everyone (especially Doctor K) treats him like an animal that needs to be caged. I can only imagine what being there is like for him, knowing that he had to leave the fate of his sister and himself in our hands. It wasn't that he shouldn't, but Dillon has always been the type to take matters into his own hands, and not being able to do so had to be driving him crazy.

I just wanted to see him. But if I could I hoped that it was _Dillon_ that I got to see.

"Summer, are you--" "--gonna take your shot?" I heard Gem and Gemma ask me, brining me out of my thoughts. I realized I was standing at the pool table with a cue in my hand.

"Oh…" I mumbled, looking to the table.

"Hey, Summer, are you alright? You seem like you're in your own world." Flynn told me, looking at me strangely. "You usually cream us in pool."

I just nodded but they could tell I was lying. "I guess…" I started softly. "I just miss Dillon." I finally admitted.

"Hey…" Ziggy said softly, coming over to me and patting me on the shoulder. "don't sweat it. We all miss Dillon, and we'll try to get him back as soon as we can." he told me with a small smile. I could tell he was missing Dillon like crazy too, he was his best friend after all.

"Aye." Flynn added. "Doctor K is smart, she'll find a way to help him." I just rolled my eyes at his statement. I failed to see how Doctor K cared any about Dillon. She locked him away alone with nothing more than his thoughts. She never even tried to make him feel accepted into this group, all she ever did was scold him for things he couldn't control.

"Don't be sad--" "--be glad!" Gem and Gemma told me cheerfully.

I just faked a smile and nodded. "Thanks, you all."

Suddenly, Scott shuffled into the room with his arm around his waist. He shouldn't be walking around so soon.

"Yo!" he greeted us with a wave. "What're you all up to?"

"Just playing a few rounds of pool to try and ease the tension around here." Ziggy explained. "…Should you be walking around?" he asked. No.

"No," Scott said with a chuckle, "but I couldn't take just lying down much longer. Feels like I'm going stir-crazy." After a moment, he noticed our glum disposition. "Is everything okay here?" he asked, looking at us.

Everyone just looked to me to answer. "Well…" I began slowly, but the loud cry of the sirens cut me off. "Yeah. Fine." I answered with a fake tone. Seconds later we all ran over to our vehicles to go to where we were needed. Scott stayed behind (as much as he despised it) so he could further heal. Everyone slammed their doors and I threw my helmet on. When I started my bike, I did it wrong, causing it to sputter for a few moments before I finally sped off.

"Ranger Series Red, please report to my lab for field correspondence." I heard Doctor K announce as I drove away.

XXX

**(Scott's POV)**

I watched Summer and the others drive off. I hated that I wasn't going with them. Being team leader, I was used to hard battles, but unfortunately my leader was telling me to stay put. I wanted nothing more than to hop in my car and join them. If anything were to happen to my team, I would have no one to blame but myself. But something bothered me about Summer as I watched her drive away, she seemed different than she usually was. She was always so playful and care free, now she was quiet and defeated.

It was clear that her mind was somewhere else completely. She never over starts her bike. Ever. I knew what she wanted to tell me before the alarms went off--she missed Dillon. She was going crazy without him here and it had only been a day. A day that seemed like years to her. I just hope Doctor K could get this pistol finished soon so we could get the cheerful Summer back.

"Ranger Series Red?" I heard her call me again. "I need your assistance." Her voice was pushier than ever, so I knew I'd better do what she wanted. I headed up to her lab and there, I saw her working vigorously on the pistol. At least she was finally showing that she cared. "You rang?" I asked as I entered the room.

"Affirmative." She answered quickly, scurrying back and forth around the room. "I need you to guide the rangers in their battle so that I can continue my work."

"You got it." I answered, heading over to the leather chair at the computers. I waited a moment before I booted them up. I knew it would take the rangers a few minutes to get to their destinations, so I thought I'd try something. "Can I ask you a favor?" I said hesitantly.

"A favor?" she repeated back. "What kind of favor?"

"Do you think you could let Summer visit Dillon at the prison tomorrow?" After I asked I was afraid to hear the answer. I know this wasn't the best time to bring this up, but I had to do something.

"And risk him annihilating her?" she _asked_, halting her work for a moment. "Absolutely not." she answered, continuing on.

"Come on, Doctor K. I'm team leader and I know there's risks, but I think it would be okay if she could go and see him." I retaliated.

"Why do you care so much if Ranger Yellow gets to see Ranger Black?" She asked, looking at me.

I just gave her a 'come on' look for a few seconds. "Do you really have to ask?" She paused for a moment, knowing exactly what was going through my mind.

She sighed hard at me. "I am aware she is in love with him, and vice versa, but there won't be any love if he destroys her." she told me.

"If he loves her, do you really think he would do something like that?" I asked, knowing she knew the true answer--and she couldn't run from it. She ignored me for a moment and kept working. "A half hour. That's all I ask." I offered her. Surely _she_ couldn't see any harm in that.

Doctor K just sighed again and rolled her eyes at me. "Fine." She grumbled. "A half hour. But if he shows even the slightest bit of hostility, she has to leave. Got it?"

"Got it." I smiled at her for her kindness. Maybe Doctor K's cold heart was starting to thaw out.


	16. Ranger Black

**(Dillon's POV)**

My eyes shot open. I saw the roof of the prison in front of me. Everything was too quiet and dark. I didn't feel like myself. My body was tense and uneasy. I arose from my cell bed to see Colonel Truman and General Hicks sitting at a table chatting about some subject matter. They stood when they caught wind of my consciousness.

"What seems to be the problem, son?" I heard Truman ask me.

I didn't answer. I just shifted my gaze from Truman to the lock on my cell, indicating that it was in his best interest to let me out.

"You know I can't let you out." he told me next, walking up to the door of my cell. "We've been over this."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Hicks look cautiously over to me. "Sir…?" he asked in a nervous voice, as if he smelled a pre-emptive strike. He could tell there wasn't something right with me.

I noticed Truman looking at me strangely with a squint. "What happened to your eyes?" He asked when they flashed red with evil. I could feel a smirk spreading across my face. This wasn't me.

I ignored his question and again just looked to the lock on the cell slowly losing what little patience I had.

"You're staying put." he said in a rough voice, pulling out a blaster and aiming it at me through the bars.

I just continued to look at him with an evil grin. Truman jumped a little when he saw me raise my hands and wrap them around a couple of the bars. He watched, curious of what I would do next. I simply pulled the two bars away from one another, showing them that no mere cell could hold me.

I saw Hicks pull a blaster to aid his boss. Truman took a cheap shot at me that I avoided by grabbing his arm and forcing him to shoot to lock so could escape. The lock shattered like the cheap metal it was and clattered to the floor.

I kicked the door open, relieving Truman of his blaster, and made my way over to Hicks. I kicked him in his gut, bringing him to the floor, taking his blaster as well. I stood between the both of them with my arms extended and a blaster aimed at the both of them.

"Don't do this, son." Truman begged me in a now kind voice. "This isn't like you. Put the blasters down." He tried to ease his way over to me. But I didn't listen. I pulled both triggers without remorse and annihilated the both of them.

The next sound I heard was my own screaming. I jumped from my sleep, drenched in a cold sweat, fighting to catch my breath. I immediately looked over to my side to see Truman and Hicks alive and well sitting at the table. It was all just a dream. A nightmare. I was just relieved that they were okay, so I just laid back down in my bed and ran my hands over my face.

"Ranger Black?" I heard a voice call to me. I moved my hands from my face and looked to it. It was Truman. "You've got a visitor."

A visitor? Who would want to come and visit me? Who would even be permitted to? When the Colonel stepped aside, I saw someone that actually made me smile.

"Summer?" I said lowly, rising from my bed and going over to her.

"Hello, Dillon." She said softly.

"You've got half an hour. Make it last." Truman said, opening the cell and letting her in. After she was inside, he left us alone, but not before placing a guard next to my door, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, still stunned that she was standing in the same room as me.

"Let's just say Doctor K isn't as heartless as she comes off to be." She explained. I could tell she was concerned about my appearance. "How have you been?"

I just sighed and sat back down on my bed. "As good as anyone could be in a place like this." I answered, staring at the floor as I spoke.

"You had another nightmare…didn't you?" She asked. I guess I didn't hide my panicky disposition as well as I thought.

I just slowly looked up to her and nodded. "Guess I belong in here after all." I said sadly.

"No," She corrected me, sitting beside me, "you just need a cure."

I felt her place a hand on my shoulder but I jerked it away. I stood and walked over to the cell wall and leaned against it. I didn't like being treated like I was a good person when I was nothing more than a monster.

"Let's not talk about this." I told her. "Let's…talk about something else."

"Okay." She agreed. "Like what?"

"Anything." I answered, looking back to the floor, crossing my arms.

"Well," she began, "there_ is_ something I've been wanting to ask you." she said.

"What" I asked, I had no idea where she was going with this.

"Where did you get the name 'Dillon?'" she asked.

"Why? Don't you like it?" I asked, raising a brow at her question. Nobody had ever asked me about my name before, I guess I never thought they cared.

"No, no, I like. I was just curious. I thought there was a reason." she said, starting to back off. I felt bad for how I reacted, I just never thought anyone cared about the little things.

"I chose it because I have no idea what my real name is." I told her.

"But why 'Dillon'? What made you choose that name?" She asked. I have to admit, her persistence in wanting to know the origin of my name was doing a great job of making me forget about my nightmare.

"It's a long story." I warned her.

Summer just looked at her watch. "Well, we have a half hour to fill, so…" she said, gesturing me to continue.

I couldn't ignore her, so I gave in. I let out a sigh before I began. "It was about a year ago. It's the first thing I remember from losing my memory. It was right after Venjix had disposed of me…and my memories. I have no idea why he did it, but he did. I remember waking up in an alley. I had been totally unconscious for who knows how long. My head and body felt like I'd been run over." I told her, trying to recall everything.

"From the implants and the memory clearing." Summer nodded along.

"Exactly." I answered. "I could barely open my eyes. Suddenly, I heard a voice."

_(Flashback)_

"_Mister, mister are you alright?" a small voice asked me. Everything was dark because my eyes were closed, I had no idea who was calling me. When I opened my eyes and saw someone there, I jumped. "It's okay, mister, it's okay. I'm not with that computer guy." When I focused on the voice, I saw it was a little boy, no older than five or six. He had a brown, tousled hair and wore a red shirt with a race car._

"_Venjix?" I groaned in response. _

"_Yeah! He's been scooping people up left and right. But from the looks of it he dropped you, that's why you're hurt." he told me, patting my knee._

"_Did you see how I got here?" I asked him next._

"_Um…no. I'm sorry. I just came here to get my ball that I dropped. See?" he replied, showing me a small blue super bounce ball. _

"_Oh." I answered with an up nod. I appreciated how much he was trying to help me, even though we were getting nowhere._

"_You look like you need a nap." The boy told me next. "My house is right around the corner and my mom is at my friend's house next door. I could give you some of my older brother's clothes to wear too!" he told me excitedly. _

_It was then that I realized I was in some sort of hospital gown type attire, I had no idea where I was or why I was there._

"_That's okay kid." I told him, using the wall to try and stand. I got about half way before I cried out and slid back down it again. He ran over to me and grabbed my leg, trying to help me up._

"_Please, mister. My mommy always says you shouldn't trust strangers, but she also says to trust something call your 'insteents' and I trust them with you." he said._

"_You mean __**instincts**__?" I asked with a small laugh._

"_Yeah! Insteents!" he said again. "Please?"_

"_Alright." I submitted. He helped me get back on my feet again and lead me to his house. He took me to a shed in the back yard and closed the door. _

"_No one will find you here. 'll go get you some blankets and a pillow!" He told me and ran into his house. I must have fallen asleep before then because when I woke, I was covered with a pillow under my head. It felt like I had slept for days. And everyday this kid would bring me any food he had left over, he also brought me some of his older brother's clothes that luckily seemed to fit me. It was black jeans, black shirt and leather jacket, with black leather boots. _

_A few days later, my head was finally clear and after I had eaten and gotten dressed, he came in to check on me._

"_Wow! You seem like you're feeling better!" he said happily, he had been working so hard taking care of me that I guess he was happy that I was healing. "Did the clothes fit?" he asked._

"_Yeah…thanks." I answered. "I should…probably get out of here. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble. But thanks for everything. You're a smart kid." I smiled at him, patting him on the head._

"_Best in my class!" he answered proudly. "But…do you really have to go? I like having a new friend." He lowered his head sadly at the thought of me leaving. I felt bad for leaving after all he had done for me, but it was best for him if I stayed away._

"_I'll have to come back some day." I told him._

"_Really! Why?" he asked, looking at me in confusion._

"_Well, I have to thank you for all you've done fore me. I promise I'll be back." I assured him. I looked down to see his little ball next to me. I tossed it to him and he caught it with ease. As I opened the shed door, I felt something stop me. "Wait…" I asked. "I don't even know my new buddy's name."_

"_My name's Dillon! Dillon Rhodes!" he answered cheerfully. "What's your name?" he asked._

_I just paused for a moment before I answered, "I'll let you know when I do." I told him. "Bye, Dillon."_

"_Bye, mister." He said with a small wave._

_(End Flashback)_

"And then I left. So, that's how I decided on the name, Dillon." I told Summer, ending my story.

"Wow!" Summer answered, standing from the bed. "Did you ever see him again to thank him?"

"No." I answered coldly, dreading where this was going.

"Why not?" She asked, her cheerfulness turning somber from my tone. "Can't you find him?"

"Something like that." I began, moving back to my bed. "I went back to Dillon's house the day Venjix started his attacks on all of the cities. I wanted to make sure he was okay, but by the time I'd gotten to his town…it was in shambles." I said sadly, closing my eyes tightly. To this day I had no idea if that little boy was okay, and I hated myself for it.

"No…" Summer said softly, looking sadly at me.

"I looked everywhere for him--or anyone for that matter. Nothing. All that was around me was sand and scrap metal. No signs of life anywhere around me. That's when I saw a black car in the distance. It seemed to be in fine shape, just needed a little fine tuning in the engine. After I had repaired it, I had to find they key. I must have dug for hours on end to find that key, but I finally did. The car was pretty low on gas and the heat wasn't helping matters, but at least there was about ten water bottles in the truck. I figured this was a rescue car that had to be abandoned. After the car was in good enough shape, I began to drive around, calling that boy's name out over and over, desperate to find him but…couldn't." I explained, I just buried my face in my hands trying to shake this memory away. This was one memory I'd be happy to forget.

"Dillon, I'm so sorry." Summer said gently, looking at me.

"From there, I just faced facts. I'd accepted things. I was trying to find a safe haven when I ran into Ziggy. Which, brings us to now." I finished, glad this story was over. I couldn't bring myself to look at Summer. "I failed that kid." I told her sadly, hitting the wall next to me. "Damn it."

"No." Summer assured me, shaking her head and sitting next to me. "You didn't. He could still be out there somewhere." she said, the hope in her voice was stronger than I thought it would be.

"I like to think so to." I told her, finally looking at her. "Thank you." I said softly.

"What for?" she asked in surprise.

"Listening." I answered. It was nice sharing some of the burden I was carrying. The next thing we heard was soft, romantic music coming from Summer's morpher. She grabbed it in surprise and chuckled nervously.

"I don't know what the problem is." She said, looking at her morpher in confusion. I knew what it was, it was Scott and the others playing music through the one way feed on her morpher. I guess they thought since it would be a while before we saw each other, so we deserved a romantic moment, no matter how embarrassing it may be. Summer could tell I was uneasy and she wanted to end it.

"Come on." She said, standing. "Dance with me." she said, extending a hand to me.

"What?" I asked, I couldn't believe she wanted to dance with a lunatic in a jail cell.

"Dance with me." She said again. I reluctantly took her hand and stood with her. I didn't like being this close and tender with somebody in the state I was in. I didn't want to turn a soft moment into an attack. She placed my hand on her waist and took my other in hers and we began to sway.

I just looked at her, and her to me. At this moment I felt tranquil. I didn't feel uneasy, tense, or evil. This moment was just what I needed to forget the hardships in my life, all the crossroads. I wanted to stay like this forever. Our heads began to grow closer to one another. We were finally going to get the kiss we longed for since the time at the Venjix Barricades. But just as our lips barely touched, the music abruptly ended and Doctor K's voice came through.

"Ranger Series Yellow, you're assistance is needed with a shield breach. We believe it's Tenaya 15. It seems your last battle with Kilobyte made Venjix come back full force." she explained quickly.

Figures. My sister was attacking the city and there was nothing I could do to help her, or at least restrain her. Summer and I just stood there for a moment, saddened that our moment was once again taken from us.

"I should go." She said softly, pulling away from me.

"Yeah." I answered sadly, letting her go. Colonel Truman met her at the door, opening it for her. Once the door was locked back, and Truman was gone, I called out to her, making her stop.

"Summer?" I called out softly, looking at her through the bars.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"If it comes down to it…pick Tenaya…okay." I told her sadly, hoping it wouldn't come to that, but if it did, at least I'd know she'd be safe.

"…Okay." She answered hesitantly. She was a bit thrown by my request, but accepted it anyway. The thought of something like that bothered the both of us. Seconds later, she was gone. I watched her walk away longingly. I was alone again with nothing but these four walls. After she left, as scary thought ran through my head, this could be the last time I see her…as least as…myself. All I could do from this dingy cell was hope Doctor K would find a way to save me, or at the very least, save my sister--no matter what happens to me.


	17. Battle on the Beach

The ranger's calls lead them to the beach. The five rangers parked their vehicles and met up with one another. With Scott and Dillon out of commission, they would have to be as careful as they could with whatever trouble came their way. They decided to be extra cautious as they looked around. A look of confusion came across their faces when they noticed that they were the only ones there. Something didn't seem right and an eerie feeling crept across all of them.

Flynn pulled out his morpher and called the doctor. "Doctor K, are you sure the bio-signals came from here? Maybe you misread the reading." he said.

"Ranger Blue, I do not 'misread' anything. I assure you the signal is coming from your exact location. Just look harder." she told them, hoping to get a better lock on the signal for them.

Suddenly, a powerful blast swept the rangers off of their feet. They landed hard in the sand unable to move.

"I think we've found the signal." Flynn groaned as he pushed himself up.

Before them, the rangers saw Tenaya 15--powerful as ever. That blast alone brought the ranger's suits down more than sixty percent. She walked out to reveal herself. She held a blaster that resembled the rangers, only with a lot more power. Venjix may not have been able to give her another finger blaster, but this was just as, if not more, powerful.

"Child's play." She smirked, watching the smoke leave her blaster.

"Is it just me, or is anyone getting sick of being blasted by her." Ziggy whined, making it to his knees.

"It's not--" "--just you." Gem and Gemma chimed in with a painful voice.

Summer just rose and looked at Tenaya. She couldn't help but think of all the trouble she caused all this time, how many people she had hurt, and all Dillon was going through just to save her. But he loved her and wanted her safe, and that was all she needed to know.

Summer rose and stepped forward. "Just stop all of this, Tenaya! Don't you remember your brother and the love the two of you shared? He's a part of you! Give him a chance!"

Tenaya just rolled her eyes at Summer's words. "How many times do I have to tell you--I'm a Venjix attack-bot. I don't have a brother. I don't have any family." she informed them, tightening her glove in preparation for battle. "Now…you have something that belongs to me, and I want it back." she said.

"Dream on, Tenaya 10, 15, whatever it is you are. You're _not_ getting the pistol back, and that's that." Ziggy retaliated. He, among others was at the end of his rope. He missed his best friend and was sick of getting wailed on. He just wanted this all to be over and done with.

"Oh, but I think I am." Tenaya answered, unfazed by Ziggy's confidence. She just darted at the team, uncaring that she was outnumbered.

"Let's just do what we can." Flynn said, stepping forward and pulling out his morpher. "Ready?" he asked.

"Wait!" Summer exclaimed. "Dillon doesn't want us to hurt her!"

"We won't, but we can't let her hurt _us_ either." Flynn reminded her.

Summer nodded. "Right." she answered, taking out her morpher too.

"RPM--Get in gear!!" the five rangers shouted, becoming engulfed in their ranger forms. And the battle was on.

XXX

Back at the Garage, Doctor K was putting the finishing touches on the pistol. It appeared that her never ending work ethic was paying off. When she was final finished with it, she grabbed it and ran it over to Scott.

"Ranger Series Red, are you sure you're up to this?" She asked him. She had already briefed him on what to do with it and making sure he followed her directions to the letter, it wasn't going to be easy. "You're torso is still pretty badly damaged from your last battle." She said. As she handed him the weapon, she looked at his ribs to make sure they were healing.

Scott took the weapon and looked at her. "It'll be fine, Doc. After all, its mainly just point and shoot, right?" he asked.

"Not particularly." She corrected him. "You only have two shots--one for Tenaya 15, and the other for Ranger Black. Once you have handled Tenaya, head over to the prison and use it on Ranger Black. You're firing must be powerful and precise." she explained to him. She didn't like trusting something this important in the hands of others. But if she could trust anyone, it was Scott. "You're sure you can handle this?"

"Positive." he answered confidently. "I used to shoot for days on end in my bird. I think I can handle two shots." he told her.

"Good." Doctor K said with a sigh of relief. "Now, when you head out there, make yourself scarce. It's over if you're spotted." she said.

"Hide. Point. Shoot. Got it." Scott told her, he knew he could handle this, he just wished she would relax a little.

"I certainly hope so." Doctor K said. "Now go…and be careful." she said, hesitantly patting him on the shoulder. Scott just smiled and nodded. He hopped in his car, placing the pistol safely in the passenger's seat. The tires squealed as he drove off.

Doctor K watched him drive off and sighed nervously. "I _really_ hope this works…" she told herself.

XXX

The five rangers all ran at once towards Tenaya, trying anything they could to subdue her without harming her. But Tenaya 15, like Dillon, had enhanced speed and strength on her side, making it hard to even lay a hand on her.

"Nitro Swords!" The team shouted simultaneously, pulling out their weapons and circling their opponent. They all lurched forward at once to pin her, but she ducked and, causing the ranger's sabers to hit one another. From underneath the swords, she jumped upward, freeing herself and she kicked Ziggy's sword from his hand and grabbed it in midair.

"Hey!" he shouted in offense.

With her new sword in tow, Tenaya twirled nimbly about, hitting all of the rangers with ease. Her one sword was causing more damage than the other ranger's four. Her fluid motions brought the rangers face to face with the beach's sand.

But the rangers weren't out yet. They all got back on their feet and ran back at her. Summer grabbed hold of Tenaya and held her in place. She looked up to the hills waiting for Scott to make his move.

"Where are you Scott?" She asked under her breath. It wasn't easy holding Tenaya still, and she was slowly losing her. Next thing she knew, Tenaya was knocking her away. Flynn was the next one to try and take her on.

"Stop all of this, lass!" He yelled at her as he tried to keep her still. "We're only trying to help you!"

"I'll stop when you give me back what's mine!" She screamed back at him. She went to kick at Flynn's face, that he ducked. When he stood back up, he took hold of her once more. He was relieved when he saw Ziggy grab her other arm.

"Can't you just listen to reason!" Ziggy yelled at her. "Dillon needs you, and whether you know it or not, you need him!"

"Enough!!" Tenaya screamed, jerking her arms away, leaping into the air kicking Flynn and Ziggy in the chests. The collapsed near Summer and tried to get their bearings back.

Gem and Gemma were the only ones left on their feet. The two of them just gave one another a sly look.

"You want to try---" "--and double team this witch?" they asked one another with a smirk. They nodded in response to each other and gave each other a high-five.

"Ugh." Tenaya groaned in disgust as she watched them. "The cheerful dynamic duo." She walked slowly closer to them, figuring they weren't going to be much of a challenge.

"Cloud Hatchets!" The Gold and Silver Rangers yelled in unison, equipping their axe-like weapons. They began to swing them mercilessly at Tenaya trying to keep her away from them. Tenaya simply twirled and danced around the swings effortlessly. When she saw an opening, she smacked the hatchets from both Gem and Gemma's hands and caught them in hers. She slashed the pair across the chest in two sharp swings. She watched them fall next to their other fallen friends and laughed.

"You're out of options. Now, give me back my pistol!" She screamed, extending a hand expectantly.

"We're not out of this yet." Flynn answered weakly. He and his team stood and summoned their weapons: the Cannon, Zip Charger, Turbo Axe and Sky Shift Blazers. They aimed them all at Tenaya, threatening her, knowing all the while they could never fire.

"Well…" Tenaya sighed, snapping her fingers summoning a group of Grinders. "if you're going to up the ante, I may as well do the same."

While the other four rangers handled the Grinder mess, Summer had a clear shot at Tenaya. She ran up from behind her and grabbed her, clinging on as hard as she could. She knew this was the last time she would be able to hold her. She glanced back at the hill and was relieved when she saw Scott laying in place above her.

"Come on, Scott…" She mumbled softly. She had Tenaya in place, all Scott had to do was fire.


	18. Cured and Defeated

Meanwhile, back in the prison, Dillon sat on his bed, thinking about his visit with Summer. For the first time in a while it seemed like he was going to be okay. He finally got to hold her for a while and that was all he needed. It felt like things were looking up. As much as he wanted to be at the fight with his team, he trusted them in doing their job. When Summer visited, she gave him what he had needed for so long, hope. He meant what he said to her when she left, although her facial expression wasn't pleased. If it came down to it, he would want Tenaya saved over himself. No questions asked.

Dillon turned to Colonel Truman and General Hicks when he heard them talking to Doctor K. The urgency in their voice made him start to feel uneasy again. He leaned over to listen closer.

"Colonel, the rangers have Tenaya 15 on the ropes, it's only a matter of time before Ranger Red opens fire on her." He heard Doctor K say through their walkie-talkies. He felt his breath leave him when he heard this. He couldn't believe it, his friends were going to go against his wishes and destroy his sister. What he didn't know was they weren't going to destroy her, they were going to save her. Doctor K kept her plan hush hush from Dillon so that he wouldn't intervene so things would go more smoothly, she hadn't planned on him hearing a play-by-play.

"Well, Doctor, my son in a terrific shot. If anyone can hit her straight on it's Scott." Colonel Truman responded.

"Scott's going to destroy my sister?" Dillon said softly to himself. As panic began to fill his body, he felt the darkness creeping up on him. He felt a sharp twinge in his head that he was able to shake off. He had been in here for about a week and knew his time was close to being out.

He ran to the bars as quickly as he could. "Colonel Truman!" he screamed through them.

"I'll call you back, doctor." Truman said, switching his walkie-talkie to off and looking to Dillon. "What is it, Ranger Black?" he asked with a raised brow.

"You have to let me out of here! I can't let my sister be destroyed before she gets the cure from Doctor K!" he yelled with urgency.

"I'm sorry." Truman answered insincerely. "I'm under strict orders _not_ to release you under any circumstances."

"You don't understand!" Dillon screamed back to him pounding the bars. He screamed again when the pain in his head came rushing back. He closed his eyes, trying to shake it off again.

Truman rose from his chair with a hand on his blaster. "You'd better calm down unless you want to be chained to a chair." he warned him. The first time Truman held Dillon under arrest, he fought a group of thugs in the cafeteria to defend Ziggy, ultimately getting him strapped to a chair to be restrained.

Dillon just kicked the cell door in protest and ran his fingers through his hair. He was trapped.

XXX

Up on the mountain, Scott lay quietly in his place, aiming the small pistol at Tenaya with as much precision as he could. He didn't want to let Dillon or his team down. The pressure on his ribs from laying on his front was a lot to bear, but he knew he had a job to do and decided to ignore it.

"Alright…steady…" he whispered to himself while he aimed. "Just get her in the crosshairs."

Meanwhile on the ground, Summer was growing tired trying to hold Tenaya still. She wouldn't be able to hang onto her much longer.

"Come on, Scott!" she thought to herself struggling to hang on to her. She saw Scott carefully trying to get the perfect shot and knew it wouldn't be much longer. Then she saw a Grinder creeping up slowly behind Scott unbeknownst to him. "Scott! Look out!!" she screamed to warn him.

Scott had just pulled the trigger when he turned around, annihilating the Grinder into nothing but dust. He looked at the pistol, knowing that one of the only two shots was wasted.

"Damn it!!" He screamed in fury, punching the ground beneath him. A Grinder from the other side of him tried to grab the pistol from Scott, causing him to drop it off of the cliff to where the others were. He was furious with himself because he knew that now, either Dillon or Tenaya was beyond saving. So he grabbed his Nitro Blaster and blew the other Grinder to bits. After it was over he was panting heavily from his rage and laid backwards. His torso was killing him and he was hating himself. He had missed his shot.

"No!!" Summer screamed as she watched the shot be fired and the pistol fall to the sand below. When Tenaya saw her weapon was in her reach, she shoved Summer off of her and ran at it. Summer darted close behind her.

"Gotcha!" Tenaya cheered in victory. Just as she went to slid it on her finger, Summer kicked it away, making it fall back in the sand. She ran at it as fast as she could and scooped it up. When she saw Tenaya was after her, she aimed it right at her, ready to fire.

Summer hesitated for a moment, the thought hitting her that, if she used this last shot on her, Dillon wouldn't have any other options. She had little time to think because Tenaya was closing in on her. She thought back to what Dillon told her at the prison.

"_If it comes down to it…pick Tenaya…okay?" _

That was all the answer she needed.

XXX

"Please listen to me!!" Dillon shouted at Hicks and Truman. "It's my sister's life!"

"If you don't quiet down, I'll lock you in solitary!" Truman shouted back at him. He wasn't appreciating Dillon's outburst and didn't like being played just so he could be let go. Little did he know, it wasn't an act.

"But you don't under--" Dillon started to scream when a sharp anguished cry cut him off. He just grabbed the bars before him tighter and tighter, putting his head down. The pain was so intense it was blinding. He was trying as hard as he could to resist the evil, but it was now taking over him full force. This was it. No amount of fighting would make a difference. His time was up.

:What's wrong with him?" Hicks asked nervously to Truman, he and his bossing inching towards Dillon's cell.

"Be on your guard…" Truman warned him, inching forward.

XXX

Tenaya was only a few feet away from Summer. She had to make a choice. She just tightly closed her eyes and fired. It was what Dillon wanted her to do, so she did. She slowly opened her eyes to see Tenaya completely frozen. She watched her eyes roll back in her head and collapse to the ground. Summer retracted her helmet and ran over to her to see if she had been successful. She saw Tenaya's body glowing faintly--she had no idea what as going on, if this was good or bad. It felt like everything was in slow motion.

When Scott and the others were finished with the Grinders, they all ran over to Tenaya and Summer to see if Doctor K's cure had been a success. They had their blasters on hand in the off chance this was some sort of hoax. Scott on the other hand knelt beside her and held her up.

"Scott, what're you doing? She could--" Flynn began, until he saw Scott raise a hand to stop him.

"Just hang on." Scott said, holding up her head.

XXX

Dillon felt himself slipping away. His tight grip on the bars were beginning to dent them. As hard as he tried to stay on his feet, he couldn't help but fall to his knees. His eyes were tightly closed and his teeth were clenched. Hicks and Truman were ready with their blasters aimed at him.

After a moment he completely fell to the floor, pressing his back into it trying to fight off the evil quickly consuming him.

"Dillon!" Truman called out to him. "We're not falling for any tricks!"

Dillon the collapsed completely to the floor. He looked to be unconscious, he didn't appear to be breathing or moving. He just laid there still and motionless.

"Be ready to fire on my call." Truman instructed Hicks over his shoulder. Hicks nodded in response, getting a lock on Dillon's body.

"Yes, sir." Hicks answered.

Truman unlocked the cell doors and went inside.

"Dillon?" he asked.

XXX

"Tenaya?" Scott asked her in a gentle voice, looking at her closed eyes. He was surprised to see that she could look so harmless all of a sudden. She looked like a different person. She looked how she was before, when Dillon was able to get through to her.

The rangers watched Tenaya blink her eyes open, even they could tell a dramatic difference in her face. All of her robotic markings on the side of her face were gone. She just looked like a normal human being.

"Scott?" She asked in a soft voice that showed no signs of robotics. Something inside her told her that she was safe in his arms. She looked at the others and then to him. "What's going on here?" she asked in utter confusion.

"Well, she _sounds_ like she's back to normal." Flynn observed.

"There's only one way to be sure." Ziggy intervened, steeping forward through the others. "Can you tell me your brother's name?" he asked.

Tenaya thought for a moment for the right answer. "I…don't know his real name. But he goes by…Dillon." she answered looking to Ziggy for approval. The rangers looked at one another in relief.

"Yeah, I'd say she's back to her good self." Scott said with a smile.

"_Good _self?" Tenaya asked in confusion. "What do you mean _good_ self?" Just the statement Scott made alone made her nervous. "What are you talking about? How did I end up here?" she asked, slowly starting to panic.

"Calm down." Flynn told her softly, trying to ease her. "It's just…after you agreed to join us a couple weeks ago, Venjix captured you and brought you back to his side."

"And Doctor K discovered that, if she re-programmed your finger pistol with her technology, she could cure you and Dillon from the Venjix Virus." Ziggy explained. "And it looks like it worked!" he added cheerfully.

Summer didn't say anything. She just hung around in the background for a while. All she could think about was that this could have been Dillon, finally freed from the horrible virus that plagued him all this time. He could have finally been freed of the fear that he was going to hurt the ones he cared about. The two of them could have been saved. But now Dillon had more problems than before, the one and only cure Doctor K had was gone. One of the shots was wasted. A shot meant for Dillon. It was her doing that Tenaya that was saved, and she knew the repercussions of it. But she did what he wanted her to do--she picked Tenaya over him.

"You mean…Venjix can't control me anymore?" Tenaya asked with a glimmer of hope in her voice and a small smile hitting her face. Scott nodded with a smile back at her. "That's wonderful!! I bet Dillon's thrilled too!"

Her words caused the rangers to give one another a somber look. They knew that she was free, but her brother wasn't so lucky.

"What's wrong?" She asked when she noticed their expressions, her happy face was fading away. She took a look around. "Where _is_ Dillon?" she asked.

Summer's eyes widened as she realized how little time Dillon had left--of any.

"Dillon!" She exclaimed, running off to get to him.

"Summer, wait!" Scott yelled after her. When he saw that she wasn't coming back, she looked to Flynn and Ziggy. "Go after her." he ordered them.

"We're on it!" Flynn responded. "Come on, Zigg." He said, he and the Green Ranger running after her.

"Gem, Gemma, help me get Tenaya back to Garage." Scott said, pulling her up slowly.

"Wait, wait!" Tenaya yelled quickly. "What's going on? Is Dillon okay? Where is he?" She asked, demanding an answer.

Scott sighed before he answered. "In prison."


	19. Prison Break

"Dillon?" Colonel Truman asked him again kneeling beside the collapsed being. He took his middle and index finger and pressed them against the Black Ranger's neck. When he didn't feel anything, he didn't know if it was because he didn't have a pulse to begin with, or he was dead.

He got his answer when he saw Dillon's eyes fly open. They were cold and crimson, wanting to wreak havoc. He looked nothing like how he did when he was begging to help his sister. Truman jumped when he felt Dillon grab his wrist. Next thing he knew, Dillon was hurling him into the cell wall.

Dillon stood to his feet and walked over to Colonel Truman to confirm his unconsciousness. He smirked when he discovered the Colonel was out cold. A few moments later he felt something hitting him in the back. He turned to see Hicks firing his blaster at him mercilessly. He turned and walked over to Hicks, unfazed by the repeated blows hitting him over and over. He grabbed the blaster from his hands and crushed it with ease in his hands.

Hicks gulped in terror and took a few steps backwards. Dillon just followed him, grabbing his shirt and forcing him against the wall, knocking him out as well. With both the Colonel and Hicks taken care of, Dillon grabbed Truman's blaster from the ground. When he turned back to leave, he saw that Hicks was already starting to come to. He just aimed his new found blaster at his chest and fired. Hicks yelped in horror when he fired. When he looked down to see the extent of his injury, he found that all Dillon had shot was his walkie-talkie. Hicks let out a loud sigh of relief. This was his warning that he'd better stay out of Dillon's way.

Knowing that he only had a few moments before some sort of backup was on it's way, he grabbed the bag from the table that held his morpher and his watch, and ran out of the prison. Just as he left, he heard loud alarms sounding all around. Guards ran into the prison to see what the problem was, but he was already gone.

He decided to head to the base where his new leader resided--he Venjix Barricades. It didn't bother him that he had a long walk ahead of him, he just pressed on. He didn't speak or smile, he just walked, never breaking his stride.

After a while of walking, Dillon saw a blue jeep and a motorcycle driving up to him. He couldn't care less who it was, he just kept walking on. He glared at them evilly for a moment but then turned away from them. He figured if they wanted to start a fight with him, they would lose.

Once close enough to him, the two vehicles came to a halt. Two men exited the jeep and a woman dismounted the bike. It was none other than Flynn, Ziggy and Summer. They knew things weren't good when they heard the faint sound of alarms in the distance and Dillon walking towards Venjix's lair.

"Oh no…" Summer said softly, her and the others running over to him.

"Dillon, stop!" Flynn screamed at the Black Ranger, who just kept walking.

"Where are you going to?" Ziggy asked trying to use his friendship with him to his advantage. "We have your sister safe and sound at the Garage and she remembers you!" he told him happily.

"It's no use." Summer chimed in, walking with the rest of them. "He can't hear you. We have to do more." She said, running in front of Dillon and grabbing his shoulders. "Dillon, please!" she pleaded to him.

Emotionlessly, Dillon just threw her off of him in one swift motion. She fell into the sand defeated. This only furthered Ziggy and Flynn's hostility towards him. They quickly helped her up and continued to walk with him.

"Ugh! Come on, man!" Flynn yelled at him. "We're your friends and so is Summer!"

Ziggy grabbed Dillon's arm in an attempt to stop him. "We just want to help you!"

But Dillon just kept pulling away. Not having any interest in what they had to say. He just kept walking. After a while, he began to lose what little patience he had with them. He turned to his former friends and pulled out his morpher.

"How'd I know that he'd go for the morpher next?" Flynn asked with a sigh.

"Well, if he goes for it, so will we." Ziggy said, he and his partners pulling out their morphers.

Flynn looked to Summer, knowing this was making her uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted to do was fight Dillon. "We have to defend ourselves." he told her with a small pat on the back. "I'm sorry."

"Let's just…get this over with." Summer answered sadly. Now she knew how Dillon felt about his sister, although she was a threat and wanted a fight, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. And the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

The four rangers all activated their morphers, and all excluding Dillon cried out. "RPM--Get in gear!" And a second later, the rangers were all suited up and ready to fight.

A majority of the battle was Dillon throwing the others around like rag dolls. He fought them mercilessly, not afraid to give them all he had, unlike the others who were strictly defending themselves.

After Dillon had thrown him to the ground, Ziggy brought his morpher to his face. "D…Doctor K?" he asked weakly.

Doctor K felt her heart skip a beat when she heard his voice, she felt it sink when she heard how hurt he was. "Zigg--er--Ranger Green?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"It's Dillon. The virus has taken him over completely and now he's broken out of the prison and is fighting us--and _winning _I might add." Ziggy explained.

"Call Ranger Series Red and have him use the pistol on him, I hear it already worked wonders for Tenaya." she answered, confused as to why he didn't think of this before, given how many times they went over this procedure.

"Yeah…about that…" Ziggy began. He couldn't believe that _he _would have to be the one to tell her that one of her only two cures was wasted on a Grinder.

"Ziggy!" he heard Summer call out to him.

"What're you doing over there?" Flynn yelled. He and Summer were having a real hard tome keeping Dillon at bay and needed at the extra power they could get.

"Ranger Green, what happened to my pistol?" Doctor K asked, fearing that something didn't go as planned.

"No time to explain just--is there anything you can do to make Dillon stop attacking us?" Ziggy asked her quickly.

Meanwhile, hiding and eavesdropping in the background was Kilobyte. He was waiting for an opening to make his move and take Ranger Black back to the Barricades with him. After Venjix lost Tenaya 15, he needed a replacement and fast. And he wasn't going to get in trouble because a ranger wouldn't cooperate.

"Idiotic fools…" he hissed evilly to himself. "Your precious little 'Ranger Black' will join Venjix whether you like it or not." he said, then another ranger caught his eye. "And I think I'll bring Venjix another consolation prize as well." he snickered.

"Well," Doctor K began slowly, "I guess I could…shut him down like I did before." she said hesitantly. "I just can't believe you guys ruined this! This was the only chance we had to stop Ranger Black from getting under Venjix's control, and now--" she yelled until she was cut off.

"I know! I know we screwed up! We're sorry!" Ziggy yelled at her. Doctor K immediately felt bad for taking her aggression out on him.

"No…_I'm_ sorry." She apologized. "What I can do, like I said, is shut Range Black down."

"Shut him down?" Ziggy repeated. "I thought that didn't work, I though Dillon was able to resist it."

"Ranger Operator Series Black didn't _resist_ my powers, I just didn't use enough intentionally. He was the only one who could have defeated that attack bot before, so I held back." she explained.

Ziggy paused for a moment before he spoke. "Is it gonna…you know, hurt him?" he asked.

"Can we take that risk?" She asked him next.

Ziggy paused for a moment to think about the choice he had to make. It wasn't easy, Dillon was his best friend and never wanted to hurt him, but if this was what was best for him, it was something that he would have to do.

"After you do it'll we'll bring him in." Ziggy answered sadly, standing to his feet.

"I'm sorry." She said, knowing Ziggy was hating this. "He'll be alright. I'll make sure."

"Thanks." Ziggy answered, heading over to his friends.

As they fought to hold their friend off, Flynn and Summer suddenly heard Doctor K's voice come through their helmets. "Ranger Operators Blue and Yellow, prepare for Ranger Black's shut down."

"Shut down?" Flynn asked in confusion. "But I thought that didn't work last time."

"I don't have time to get into detail right now, if you want to save Ranger Black, this has to be done." Doctor K snapped at him.

"W-wait!" Summer chimed in. "Shut down? Won't that--"

"There's no time to debate, Ranger Yellow." Doctor K informed her. "This needs to be done. Prepare for shutdown in five, four, three, two, one." she said, typing exactly what she needed to on her computers. She pulled up Dillon's data so that she could put a hold on it. After a few moments, Dillon went to throw a punch, but stopped cold. His fist was shaking, only indicating how badly he was trying to move. Before the ranger's eyes Dillon's suit left him and he collapsed to the ground like a lifeless puppet.

Summer just ran to him to see if he was okay, while Flynn and Ziggy stayed back on their guard and approached him cautiously. They all jumped when they suddenly heard Doctor K's voice.

"It's complete." she said in an empty voice. "You only have a small window of time to get him back here so I can restrain him." she said.

The rangers all demorphed simultaneously. "How short?" Flynn asked afraid to hear the answer.

"Ten minutes." She answered bluntly.

"Ten minutes?!" Flynn yelled. "That's--"

"We can argue later, right now we have to go!" Summer shouted at him, she and Ziggy lifting Dillon to stand.

"I'm sure we can make it, we just have to be fast--lightening fast." Ziggy said, not exactly confident in their predicament.

Suddenly, a thought hit Summer. "Ziggy, why don't you use your teleportation powers to get us back to the Garage?" she asked hopefully.

"Me? Teleport? _All_ of us??" Ziggy answered shakily with a gulp. "I-I don't know…I can barely teleport myself." he said discouraged in his abilities.

"You have to try!" Summer cried.

"O-okay." Ziggy answered nervously. "I'll try." he said, grabbing Dillon's arm. Summer and Flynn grabbed each of Ziggy's shoulders so they could teleport with him. Just as Ziggy went to hit the button to take them away, Kilobyte appeared pushing them apart from one another. Dillon and Summer went to left and Ziggy and Flynn to the right.

He grabbed Dillon and Summer by the arm tightly. "You two are coming with me!" he said with an evil chuckle. He glared at Summer in the eyes. "I'll teach _you_ to interfere!" he sneered, teleporting away with the both of them. After they were gone, Ziggy and Flynn looked to one another in horror.

"Okay… did_ that_ just happen?" Ziggy asked. Now instead of being down two rangers, they were down three.


	20. The Puppet

Scott, Tenaya, Gem and Gemma all entered the Garage. Tenaya used Scott as leverage to help her walk, he himself ignoring the stress it was putting on his ribs. He didn't care, he just wanted her to get to safety. After all, he was Team Leader, and now she was a part of his team, which meant she was his responsibility. And Dillon was counting on him and the others to make sure she was well taken care of.

The last battle hadn't been kind to any of them. All of them were sore all over from the attacks. Tenaya felt strange after being blasted with the curing pistol and needed some time to recover. Once inside, Tenaya bolted over to Doctor K.

"Doctor K!" She yelled, hurrying over to her side. "Why is my brother in prison? Is he okay?" she asked quickly.

Doctor K swirled around in her chair to face her. "Well, well, Miss Tenaya 15. Good to see you again." she said sarcastically.

"Is Dillon okay?" Tenaya asked again, ignoring the doctor's rude remark.

Doctor K just rolled her eyes and turned back to her computer. "You need to go to the infirmary for an immediate body scan before I can tell you anything." she told her. "I have to keep the safety of this team and the city of Corinth in mind."

Scott jumped in when he noticed that Doctor K kept dodging Tenaya's question. "Doctor K, What's going on here? Did something happen?" he asked. "Where's Dillon and the others?"

Doctor K took a deep breath before she began to answer. But before she could, Ziggy and Flynn ran into the room in a panic. They panted trying to catch their breath and the looks on their faces only furthered Scott's worry. Not to mention they were minus one ranger.

"Flynn, Ziggy, where's--" "Summer?" Gem and Gemma asked, looking behind them to see if she was following.

"Gone." Flynn answered between breaths.

"Kilobyte jumped in and swiped them." Ziggy added sadly.

"Them? Wait, who's _them_?" Scott asked in confusion, last he knew it was only the three of them going off to see if Dillon was okay.

"Dillon and Summer." Flynn answered. "Dillon found a way to bust out of the prison, the Venjix Virus took over him again and he started to fight us. Doctor K tried to shut him down so we could bring him back here to find another cure, but before we could…" he trailed off.

"Kilobyte grabbed them." Ziggy finished for him.

"What!?" Tenaya exclaimed in horror. "I have to go find him!" She yelled, but buy the time she got to the door, she felt a wave of dizziness come over her. She staggered a bit to try and regain her balance, but fell. Scott dashed over and caught her and by the time she hit his arms, she was unconscious.

Scott shook her gently trying to wake her up but got nothing. "Whoa, Doctor K, what's wrong with her?" he asked, looking at Tenaya's pale complexion. He brushed his hand against her cheek.

Doctor K sighed. She didn't look behind her, she just kept working on her computer. "As I tried to warn Tenaya 15 before her impending collapse, she needs to rest after being freed from the Venjix Virus. Her body's been through a dramatic change in a short amount of time and needs to be scanned." she explained to them.

"Let's get here to a bed then." Scott said, he tried to pick up Tenaya but his ribs decided against it, it was a struggle just to stand.

Flynn rushed over to the two of them and pick up Tenaya. "I got here, mate. You go and sit down." he told him. Scott nodded in response and then he carried Tenaya to the infirmary.

"I'll sit in the infirmary." Scott told him. "I want to make sure she's okay." He followed Flynn to the back of the Garage.

"We're gonna go and--" "--help them out!" Gem and Gemma said, completing one another's sentences. Then the two perky friends followed Scott and Flynn.

After all of them were out of the room, Ziggy walked over to Doctor K's chair and stood behind her.

"You can try and hide it all you want, I know you care." he told her.

"Excuse me?" Doctor K asked, turning to him. The tone of her voice sounded as if she was insulted.

"I know you care about Tenaya, or else you wouldn't have went through the trouble to make a cure for her in the first place." Ziggy said. "And you wouldn't have been so reluctant to shut Dillon down back there."

Doctor K just turned back to her work. "We have work to do, Ranger Green. I don't have time to share feelings about things with you. We have to find Ranger Yellow and Ranger Black." she said coldly. She didn't have it in her to admit that everything Ziggy was said was right.

"Right." Ziggy answered, saddened by the fact that Doctor K still wouldn't open up to him. "I'll help."

XXX

(Summer's POV)

I had no idea where Kilobyte was taking Dillon and me, and at the moment, I didn't care. I just wanted Dillon to be alright. After Doctor K had shut him down, I had no idea how Dillon would be when he woke up…or if he would.

After we teleported I discovered that Kilobyte had taken us back to none other than Venjix's base. When we landed, Kilobyte I noticed I was in Kilobyte's right hand and Dillon was in his left. Whereas he was motionless, I was kicking and thrashing about.

"Let me go you worthless bucket of bolts!" I screamed as I bucked around.

"Have it your way." Kilobyte answered snidely, dropping me hard onto the cold floor. "You're just here for leverage anyways." he told me. "What we need is _him_." he said, looking at Dillon.

"What are you planning on doing with him?" I asked. My voice was mixed with panic and rage.

"That's no business of yours." Kilobyte answered, turning and walking away with Dillon.

"Wait! Stop!" I screamed, running after him. He sent a powerful surge of energy my way, throwing me against a wall and knocking me out cold.

"Foolish girl." I heard him say faintly before everything went dark.

A few hours later I felt myself wake up. My whole body ached beyond belief, I felt that I had been in some sort of explosion. I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. I didn't know where I was or how longed I'd been there. I was feeling so many things at once: pain, fear, worry and regret. All that I was sure of was that I had failed at saving Dillon. I used the only remaining cure on Tenaya and now there were no more options for him. I know that it was what he wanted me to do, but he could be safe and sound right now, like Tenaya was.

Then I remembered me, Ziggy and Flynn fighting Dillon after he had escaped from the Corinth Prison, and Doctor K shutting him down. He just fell over like someone had turned him off like a light switch. It was scary. At that moment he actually seemed like a machine, a machine that had been shut down.

It hit me next that Kilobyte had snatched us and brought us back to the Venjix Barricades and him grinning as he took Dillon away from me. I had to find him before something happened to him. I still couldn't open my eyes, I didn't have the strength too. I tried next to move my arms, but I couldn't. I was pinned to something. I got the same result when I tried to move my legs. Then I realized that I was chained to a wall.

When I finally had the strength to open my eyes, I saw the Venjix Barricades. I also saw Kilobyte standing around with someone next to him, but my vision was too blurry to see who it was. After long moments of trying to focus my vision, I saw that the figure next to Kilobyte was Dillon.

The two of them hadn't noticed I was awake yet, so I thought his would be the best time to try and think of an escape. When I slowly looked to my left for any means of freeing myself, I saw someone chained up right next to me. He was unconscious and was showing no signs of waking, I wondered how long he had been here.

When I looked back to Kilobyte and Dillon, I saw that they were talking to none other than Venjix himself. I closed my eyes and hung my head, feigning unconsciousness to so I could eavesdrop on their conversation.

"So, how is your plan proceeding Master Venjix?" Kilobyte asked.

"The weapon is nearly complete, we just have to hold off the other rangers a little longer. That shouldn't be a problem, after all they've already lost three of their own." Venjix chuckled.

"And once the weapon_ is_ complete?" Kilobyte asked expectantly.

"We use _this_ one to fire it and annihilate that pathetic city of Corinth." Venjix explained, gesturing to Dillon.

"What!? Why _him_!? Why not use a more trusting General like myself?" Kilobyte asked in offense.

"For this reason right here." Venjix sneered, snapping his fingers. I looked up slightly to see what Venjix was planning to use him for, and when I did, I saw Dillon immediately snap up and grab Kilobyte in choke hold.

"Wh-what are you doing Venjix!?" Kilobyte stammered, totally thrown by what he was making Dillon do.

"I can control this boy of my own volition." Venjix answered. "He is now my slave, meaning he is now the most trustworthy candidate for this task." he said, snapping again, freeing Kilobyte from Dillon's grip.

Kilobyte dusted himself off and cleared his throat. "Why not just fire the weapon yourself? You're the…most powerful out of all of us." he said, nearly choking on the words as he said them, he thought he was much stronger than Venjix was.

Venjix just began to laugh obnoxiously. "You fool." he answered lowly. "Whoever fires a weapon of that magnitude will be obliterated themselves!"

As soon as I heard the words, I shot open my eyes and looked at Dillon. That's why Venjix wanted him all this time, just so he could use him as a pawn to destroy the city. Dillon was nothing more than Venjix's puppet, and wasn't snapping out of it this time. I looked at him sadly, he looked nothing like himself. He just resembled a shell of what he used to be. He just started dead ahead with no emotion in his face.

"Then I'd say this one's _perfect_ for the job!" Kilobyte laughed in response, slapping Dillon on the back. "But…what happens if he snaps out of it. He's shown that he can fight it on more than one occasion." he said.

"That's highly unlikely. The virus had taken over more than eighty percent of his body. But, if something like that should happen, that's what _she's _for." Venjix answered, referring to none other than myself. He was going to use me to destroy Dillon. It was like I was in a nightmare. _I_ was the reason Dillon was going to be destroyed.

"You're sick." I said dryly, it was as loud as I could speak, I was completely exhausted. "Dillon will never help you destroy Corinth, no matter what you do to him." I could only hope that my words were true.

"Oh, I think he will. I control him now--completely." Venjix answered evilly. "As for you, you're going to lower the city shields so I can invade Corinth."

"Why would I do that?" I asked in a disgusted voice.

"Because I can do this." Venjix said, snapping his fingers once more. This made Dillon jerk backwards for a moment. When he opened his eyes, they were back to normal and when he spotted me, he ran to me.

"Summer!!" He exclaimed, looking at me chained to the wall.

"Dillon?" I asked in disbelief.

"What has he done to you?" He asked me in horror, grabbing my chains. "Are you alright?" he asked in panic.

"Yes, I'm fine but you have to get out of here." I warned him.

"What? Not without you." He told me, stroking my hair. I closed my eyes to remember his touch.

"Dillon…" I said softly, looking in his eyes, enjoying the softness in them that had been missing.

"Summer…I--" he began but lurched forward and screamed.

"Dillon, are you okay!?" I cried, hating seeing him in any distress. But when he raised his head and looked back at me, they had the horrible red glow of the virus.

"Time's up!" Venjix hissed from behind him.

"You monster!! Bring him back!!!" I screamed, my chains rattling all around me. I wanted nothing more than to rip myself from this wall and tear him apart.

"Lower the shields and I'll consider it." Venjix told me coldly. Loving the fact that he had me. He knew that I'd do anything to save Dillon from him.

"Why should I believe you?" I asked, so upset that tears were forming in my eyes.

"Because you can't afford not to." he sneered back at me.

I didn't have a choice. Venjix had proven to me that he had the power to bring Dillon back at his will. But that didn't mean that he would do it just because I followed his instructions. But right now I had to believe him, I'd do anything to get the Dillon from a few moments ago back, even if it meant going against everything I thought was right.


	21. The Cure's Consequences

It was nearing midnight at the Garage. No one was asleep given all that had happened. Flynn, Ziggy, Gem, Gemma and Doctor K were hard at working trying to think of a plan to bring Dillon back, as well as find Dillon another cure for the Venjix Virus. It didn't matter how tired they were or how long things were taking, they weren't going to rest until their team was whole again.

Scott on the other hand never left Tenaya's bedside. He just sat there in that stool hour after hour waiting for her to wake up. He didn't want her waking up alone. Something inside himself really cared about her. He didn't know if it was because he knew how much her safety meant to Dillon, or something beyond that. All he knew was that he couldn't leave her.

He just watched her constantly, waiting for her to show any signs of life. He wanted to make sure that if Dillon ever _did_ come back, that his sister was left in good hands. Scott knew all too well what it was like to lose a sibling, and didn't wish that kind of pain on anybody. He just wished Tenaya's story had a happier ending than Marcus's.

Tenaya's fore finger moved slightly, causing Scott to jump at attention. He rose to his feet and peered down at her.

"Tenaya?" he asked her softly. "Can you hear my voice? Are you okay?"

A few moments later he saw her eyes flicker open. Once her eyes were in focus, she looked over to him in utter confusion.

"Who's Tenaya?" She asked weakly.

Scott froze for a moment, trying to think of what was going on. He chalked it down to her being exhausted. "You are." he answered.

Suddenly, he saw her hands jerk to her face around her eyes. "I…I can…see." she said, tears forming in her eyes. She looked to Scott in bliss. "I can see!" she cheered happily.

Scott just paused again and looked at her. He knew that before Tenaya was turned into a hybrid that she was blind, but Venjix had given her robotic eyes so she could see when he reprogrammed her to work for him. He found it odd that she was so suddenly talking about it, she had been able to see for the past year.

"Yeah. Congratulations." Scott smiled at her. He debated on telling her the reason she could see. It was clear that she didn't currently have any recollection of Venjix and he thought it could wait.

After a moment of enjoying her newfound sight, she looked back to Scott. "I'm sorry…who are you?" she asked.

Scott looked at her in strangely for a moment before he answered. He had no idea what was going on. She and him have fought each other on more than one occasion. "I'm Scott. Scott Truman." he answered. "I'm the red Power Ranger. Don't you remember me?" he asked.

"No…I'm sorry." She answered with a look of guilt on her face.

"No, don't be." he answered with a small smile. "Can you tell me your name?" he asked, curious of what she'd say. She wasn't acting remotely like herself and figured this would help clear some things up.

"It's Terra." She answered. Scott sat back down in his stool trying to figure out what was going on. He had no idea where she could have gotten that name from. Suddenly, he saw her jump up in panic. "Oh my God! I have to find Derek!" she exclaimed.

As she went to stand, she felt Scott stop her. "Now, hang on a minute. Who's Derek?" he asked her next.

"He's my brother! Venjix captured us. I have to see if he escaped!" she cried.

At that moment it hit Scott who 'Derek' was. It was Dillon's true name and Terra was hers. But he couldn't figure out why she was calling her and Dillon by these names all of a sudden.

"It's okay. Flynn and the others are looking for him as we speak, and Doctor K is working on another cure for him." he assured her.

"What?" She asked. The look on her face showed she was completely lost. "Who's Flynn and Doctor K? And what do you mean _cure_?"

Scott sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. There were so many questions he had no ask and so many answers he needed. So he thought he would start at the beginning.

"Terra, can you tell me about Venjix?" he asked first.

She was a bit thrown by his question, she was so flustered with everything that was going on, but even though she didn't know him, he was the only person she had at the moment, so she cooperated.

"Venjix is a super computer that appeared a couple years ago. He tried to capture me and Derek in our hometown. The last thing I remember was Derek being restrained by these robots while I was being dragged away." she explained, trying to remember all that she could.

"And do you remember…working for him?" Scott asked, knowing this would be a sore subject.

Terra just looked at him in horror. "Working for him?" She asked in a frightened tone. "I would never do something like that! Derek and I were fighting _against _Venjix!" she yelled in her defense. After a few moments passed, and it dawned on her that Scott's words could be true. "Why…did I?" she asked softly.

"Not of your own volition." Scott told her, hoping this would soften the blow a little. "He captured you and…'Derek' and turned you into robotic hybrids to work for him."

"Hybrids?" Terra asked, a thought hitting her. She brought her hands to her eyes. "That's why I can see?" she asked.

Scott just nodded in response. "I guess that's the only good thing Venjix has ever done." he told her.

"Wait…" she began. "If you said he turned Derek and I into hybrids, where is Derek now?"

Scott sighed sharply. "That's a _really_ long story, Terra."

"Tell me…please. I want to know." she told him with sad eyes. To her, having her vision back meant nothing if she didn't have her brother.

Scott leaned back in his chair, knowing he had a lengthy discussion ahead. "Well, Venjix turned him into a hybrid--just like you. However, inside of his robotics…there was a virus." he said.

"Virus?" Terra repeated. "What kind of virus?" she asked.

"The Venjix Virus." Scott answered. "They used to be inside your robotics to--that's what you were working for him--but Doctor K found a cure. But Dillon's--or Derek's--virus took over him and now he's working for Venjix. He's nothing like himself now. Venjix is controlling him via the virus."

"But…if you were able to cure _my_ Venjix Virus, can't you cure his?" Terra asked.

Scott felt a pang of guilt with what she asked. He didn't know how to tell her that it was his fault that Dillon wasn't going to get his cure. He cleared his throat before he answered. "There was a…mishap one the battlefield when we were trying to cure the both of you. One thing lead to another and…you were the only one who got the cure." he said lowly, bringing his gaze to the floor in guilt.

Terra just let out a soft scoff in disbelief. She felt tears filling her eyes but fought to hold them back. "Why did you use the only cure on me?" she asked, not able to look at the Red Ranger.

"Because he told us that, if anything should happen to one of the antidotes, to give the remaining one to you." Scott answered, finally looking back at her.

"So that's it?" She asked sadly. "There's nothing we can do for him? Isn't there another cure out there?"

Scott shook his head slowly from side to side. "No." he said in a guilty voice. "At least not yet. Doctor K is working on finding something."

Terra just sighed sharply and buried her head in her hands. "This is all too much." she whimpered through her hands.

Scott stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should get some more rest. You've gone through a lot these past couple days." he said gently. "I'll wake you up if we find anything.

Terra nodded slightly. "Yeah…okay. Thank you, Scott." she said. He could tell her mind was going a million miles a minute and sleep wasn't going to be an easy task for her. But there was nothing she could do at the moment in her state, and the sooner she recovered the sooner she could help Derek. She just lay back in her bed.

Scott grabbed the covers and draped them softly over her. "No problem, Terra." he said with a warm smile. In his gaze she couldn't help but feel a little better about things. She felt herself slipping into sleep easier than she thought.

"Scott?" She asked as she watched him beginning to leave.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to her.

"Will you…stay with me. Until I fall asleep?" She asked. He couldn't help but see the innocence in her face. She looked so vulnerable and frightened and just needed someone there with her.

"Of course." he answered, sitting again in the stool. After he sat he could see her body loosening and relaxing. A short while later, she was asleep. When he checked to make sure she was really asleep, he looked down at her. He stroked her cheek gently with his hand. All the evil in her face had disappeared and replaced with softness.

Scott then left the infirmary, closing the door behind him softly. He sighed to himself and rubbed his hands against his face. "I hope Doctor K has an explanation for this." he said lowly.

XXX

"Do you have anything yet?" Flynn asked Doctor K as he anxiously watched her research on her computer the whereabouts of Summer and Dillon.

Doctor K just shook her head in defeat and continued typing. "So far, no. Right now, all we can assume is that they were taken to the Venjix Barricades. It makes the most sense since I cannot get a solid lock on their morphers." she explained.

"And Venjix has that stupid anti-morpher signal running throughout his entire lair. Nice." Ziggy jumped in sarcastically.

"Well, we can't give up. We have to keep trying." Flynn said, trying to make the most of things.

The next thing the team saw was Scott walking in the room with a confused look on his face. It looked like he was pondering something. Gem and Gemma immediately ran over to him.

"Hey, Scott. Are--" "--you okay?" they asked in unison.

"I'm fine." Scott answered with a nod. "I just need to talk to Doctor K." he said, walking over to the doctor's desk. She halted her typing when she saw he needed her.

"Yes, Ranger Red? What is it?" she asked.

"Is everything okay with Tenaya?" Ziggy asked in concern, earning him a somewhat jealous glance from Doctor K.

"That's the thing…" Scott said suddenly. "She's not 'Tenaya', she keeps calling herself 'Terra'."

"Who's Terra?" Flynn asked him.

Suddenly Doctor K looked to the entire team before her. "It's Tenaya's true name." she told them. She watched confused looks come across the team's faces.

"True name?" Ziggy asked. "What are you talking about?'

"I was afraid this would happen." Doctor K trailed off, rising from her computer, going to another with a larger screen.

"Afraid…_what_ would happen?" Scott asked worriedly.

With a few keystrokes, Doctor K brought up Tenaya's scan results. It showed her x-ray with green and red shades. "This is Tenaya's chart. The green areas show where she has recovered her body from robotics and the red shows where the antidote is still working. I thought when I created the virus, it would heal her, all the while leaving her body in the same condition it was when she had her robotics, only minus the virus." She explained.

"I'm lost." Scott told her. "Can you be a little more specific?"

"It simply means this: the areas that are still curing her are quickly wiping away her memory of her body when she had her robotics, which is affecting her memories. When she is completely healed, she will have no recollection of any period of time in which she had her robotics." she explained as clearly as she could.

"So that's why she called herself Terra. She doesn't remember being Tenaya anymore." Scott concluded.

"Exactly. Right now, she may be able to remember one or two things from her Tenaya days, but once the virus is completely healed, she won't. She will only remember what happened until the day before her accident." Doctor K added.

"Why did this happen?" Flynn asked. "Why would the cure affect her memories?"

"Because my hypothesis about the cure working immediately was wrong. Had it been quick as I had planned, her memories wouldn't of had time to be erased. It was my own error." Doctor K told them. "I'm sorry." she said, hanging her head.

"So…long story short, whoever is cured of the Venjix Virus won't remember having it?" Ziggy asked, trying to piece everything together.

Doctor K closed her eyes and nodded. "I'm afraid so." she replied. The rangers could tell that she really felt remorse. Doctor K wasn't one to make mistakes, and now that she finally had, she was taking it hard.

"So this means even if we _do_ get Dillon and Summer back, and find a cure for him, he'll--" Flynn began, until her saw a figure standing in the Garage doorway.

"Summer?" Scott asked in disbelief, running over to her with the others.

"Yeah. I'm back." She said in an empty voice. Not that the others would tell her, but she looked terrible. Her hair was a wreck and she had terrible bags under her eys showing she lacked sleep. Any happiness she had in her face was wiped away.

"But how did you escape?" Ziggy asked.

"I snuck out when Venjix was busy. The lock on my chains was faulty and I was able to break it when he was out of the room." She explained in a somber voice.

"Is he with you?" Scott asked, knowing she would know who 'he' was.

Summer shook her head. "No." she answered in practically a whisper.

The others could tell something was seriously wrong with Summer. Her bloodshot eyes and traumatized disposition showed there was something deeper going on.

"I need some rest." She said weakly, walking past them and to the stairs. They didn't bother to stop her. They knew they'd get any information they needed once she was rested. Prying now would get them nowhere.

After she was gone, Ziggy turned to Scott. "Should we tell her?" he asked lowly.

"No." Scott told him. "Let her rest first. She doesn't look like she could handle much more today." The team just looked at one another in concern. One thing they could all agree on was that this was the worst time to give Summer any form of bad news.

"Right…" Flynn answered hesitantly. Something inside him felt something more was going on.


	22. Help in Unexpected Places

It was nightfall in Corinth and everyone had given up searching for the night and went to sleep. They figured they could do more for everyone if they had gotten a decent night's sleep. Summer on the other hand was wide awake. She was lying in her bed, still dressed in her RPM uniform. She hadn't been able to sleep ever since she had come back. She looked over to the clock next to her and saw it was 4:51. Knowing what she had to do made her feel a nervous wreck, but she would do anything to get Dillon back safely.

Summer rose up from her bed and began to creep slowly down the stairs, making sure she was quiet enough so she wouldn't wake anyone. She didn't make a sound. Next, she made her way into the lab area of the Garage, walking to the locked door where Doctor K's computers and technologies were.

She arrived at the keypad to the door, there was a specific code used to unlock it that Doctor K had given them at the start of their journey in the off chance of an emergency. With shaky fingers, she slowly typed in the correct password. Seconds later, the door slid open and she walked in side. Before her she saw the large computer mainframe that Doctor K did all her studies and experiments on, which she knew also could rise or lower the city shields at will.

Summer booted up the computer and found the files that controlled the shields. She clicked the button that read "Rise/Lower Corinth City Shields". Doing so brought up a screen that had two buttons "Raise Shields" and "Lower Shields". Summer sighed as she hovered the cursor over the "Lower Shields" option.

"Everyone…" She said softy to herself in a whisper, "forgive me for this."

When she closed her eyes and began to click the mouse, she felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump and stop. She gasped in fright.

"Relax, lass, it's only Flynn!" The Blue Ranger assured her, shushing her so she wouldn't wake anyone.

"Flynn!" She yelled in a loud whisper. "What are you doing here!?"

"I think that's the question I should be asking _you_." he said, pointing at the computer screen.

Summer looked to the screen nervously--he had caught her red handed. "I-I…I was--uh…" She stammered trying to think of any sort of excuse.

"Summer…" Flynn told her gently, taking her shoulders, "it's Flynn, you can tell me anything." he assured her.

"Oh, Flynn!" Summer cried, grabbing her hair, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't believe what I was about to do!"

"What?" He asked. "What were you about to do?"

Summer paused for a moment to calm herself. After taking a few deep breaths she was able to answer. "I was going to…lower the shields so Venjix could prepare an ambush." she admitted shamefully.

"What!?" Flynn exclaimed. "Why would you do such a thing!?"

"I was doing it for…" She trailed off, sliding down the wall next to her to the floor. She buried her head in her hands and began to weep softly.

"Dillon?" Flynn asked, looking down at her.

Summer nodded and wiped tears from her eyes. "He brought him back." she said sadly.

"Who?" Flynn asked, sitting down beside her.

"Venjix." She answered, resting her head back against the wall. "He brought Dillon back to his old self just to prove that he could do it. Then he told me that, if I didn't lower the shields for him, he'd _never_ change him back." she told him. He could tell in her voice that she felt like garbage for what she was about to do, she was punishing herself.

"That's why he let you go." he said, looking to her. She nodded weakly in response. "Okay, okay." Flynn said in a soft tone, stroking her arm. "We just need to calm down and figure this all out."

"Yeah, but right now there doesn't seem to be any way how." Summer sniffled.

"You know we have to tell Doctor K." Flynn told her. "She's the only one who can come up with something to help Dillon."

"She already _did_ come up with something. She came up with a cure and I used it on Tenaya. Dillon could be here right now. It's all my fault he's working for Venjix." Summer said sadly. Flynn didn't know what to say, he just looked at her for a moment. "He told me to use it on Tenaya." Summer said suddenly. "Dillon told me that if anything should happen, that I should put Tenaya first."

"You did the right thing, Summer, even though it doesn't feel like it right now." he told her.

"Well, it doesn't." she replied, angry with herself. She stood up and dusted herself off. "Let's go talk to Doctor K. I want to get this over with." she said. Flynn nodded, and the two went to go confront the doctor, knowing all the while that Summer had to face the consequences of her actions.

XXX

At the Venjix Barricades, the super computer himself was still hard at work trying to complete his massive weapon. He held a small power saw to shape the weapon to his liking, while Kilobyte made some adjustments on the opposite end.

"Master Venjix," Kilobyte began, "don't you think he could be attacking the rangers or something right now, as opposed to standing around like furniture?" he asked, gesturing over to Dillon who stood blankly next to the door. "He could keep the rangers busy while that girl lowers the shields."

"No." Venjix answered in a booming voice. "Right now we're giving them a false sense of security. The safer they feel, the easier it will be for her to lower them. That way, when she _does_ lower them, this weapon can destroy them all in one place." he explained evilly. The bliss in his voice made Kilobyte's skin crawl.

"As you wish, master." Kilobyte answered with a groan of disgust.

Meanwhile, Dillon continued to stand by awaiting instructions, motionless like a puppet. He had no mind of his own anymore, he was only used as a weapon. When he saw the prisoner chained to the wall next to him come to, he merely looked at him for a moment then looked away.

This young man had began to wake up when Summer was there before. He was still pretty out of it, but he saw the way Dillon and Summer looked at one another when Venjix had brought Dillon back and was surprised to see him the way he was now. He had passed out again before Venjix turned him evil again, and his new attitude didn't make sense to him.

"Hey." he called out to him in a small whisper. When he failed to get a response, he got a little louder. "Hey!" he called again, grabbing Dillon's attention. He merely glanced at him emptily again and turned back.

"Your name's Dillon right?" he asked, not getting another look from him. "And that girl you were with before, her name's Summer, right?" he asked him again. "You like her don't you?" he said, trying to get through to him. He noticed that when he said Summer's name, Dillon made a face as if he remembered who she was.

Dillon saw flashes in his mind of he and Summer. The near kiss in the prison cells, the dance in the prison, and that night she talked him through the virus.

"Summer?" Dillon said weakly.

"Yeah! Summer!" The prisoner replied happily. "Why are you here with Venjix? She missed you! Why don't you go to her?" he asked.

This caused Dillon to have flashbacks from just hours ago.

"_Dillon, you have to get out of here!" he heard Summer yelled, remembering the fear in her face._

"_No, not without you!" he saw himself say, grabbing onto her and petting her in a gentle manner._

"She was…here." Dillon said, slowly recalling things. The prisoner nodded along excitedly, he was able to get through to him.

"YOU!!" Venjix screamed in his ground shaking voice. He walked away from his weapon and over to them. "SILENCE!!" he screamed, knocking the captive over the head, brining him back to unconsciousness.

Still confused about everything that was going on, Dillon just watched his new friend collapse. He didn't know what he should do or who he could trust. He just looked over to Venjix, something inside him didn't feel right about things.

"What did you--" he began, but Venjix simply raised his hand, cutting his words off. Dillon's eyes once again glowed red, bringing the puppet back.

"His feelings for her are_ that _strong!?" Kilobyte asked in shock, walking beside Venjix.

"Apparently so." Venjix grumbled. "But there's no need to worry about it, I'll just reprogram him with stronger technology, the same technology I used with Tenaya 15." he said.

"Wait!" Kilobyte protested. "She was able to beat the technology, correct?"

"That was because of that nuisance, Doctor K. She was somehow able to develop a cure. But no cure will be able to withstand against my Generation 20 technology!" He announced proudly.

"Generation 20!?" Kilobyte exclaimed in horror. "But that's three generations higher than myself!"

"I'll upgrade you as well, Kilobyte." Venjix assured him. "Those Power Rangers won't be able to scratch two Generation 20 attack-bots. And with Ranger Black's memories completely deleted, no one will be able to get through to him, not even that little Yellow Ranger." he said with a wicked chuckle. He placed a finger under Dillon's chin. "A real war's about to being." he hissed coldly.


	23. The Briefing

Back at the Garage, the rangers sat around a large table while Doctor K lectured them. She wasn't pleased when Flynn told her what Summer was up to, and neither were the others. But they were her friends and they understood that she was between a rock and a hard place. Flynn sat close to Summer who had a look of shame on her face. She couldn't bring herself to look at anything but the table in front of her.

"I hope you realize the danger you put us, and not to mention the entire city of Corinth in with your careless actions, Ranger Yellow." Doctor K scolded her in a cold voice as she paced around the room. Summer just closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn't need Doctor K to tell her that she screwed up. She was kicking herself enough for it.

"Again, I am _so_ sorry everyone." Summer apologized. "I was conflicted. Venjix put me in an impossible position…I didn't know what to do."

"Hey, don't worry, Summer." "We all make mistakes." Gem and Gemma assured her, patting her arm. This made Summer smile a little, at least she knew she had friends that cared about her.

"Ye-yeah." Ziggy chimed in, looking at her kindly. "We all know where your coming from. Look at me and Fresno Bob."

Summer thought about what Ziggy said and he had a point, he was forced to do things against his desire just so Fresno Bob wouldn't make him suffer the consequences. But where they were different, Ziggy was able to make the right choice on his own, which made her feel worse.

"Thanks, Ziggy." Summer replied in a sad voice.

"You're a good person, Summer. You just made a mistake. And what matters is you _didn't _lower the shields." Flynn assured her.

"Because you stopped me. I don't know what I would have done had you not come along." Summer reminded him. She placed her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. "Now there's no way to get Dillon back." she said sadly. "I'm a disgrace to the team."

Doctor K sighed and leaned against the table. "Well, with yours and Ranger Red's recent actions, it's a miracle there's a team left at all." she said coldly, getting her sad and pained looks from Summer. They knew that they had made horrible mistakes, but there was nothing they could do about it except figure out a way to fix it.

"Hey!" Ziggy said, rising from his chair. "She didn't do it. Cut her a little slack."

Doctor K stood there stunned for a moment. "Oh." She said in surprise, she never had Ziggy snap that way at her before. It made her think that maybe she _was _being a little too hard on her. Her cheeks began to blush in embarrassment. "Right-right…moving on…" She trailed off.

"Where _is_ Scott anyways?" Flynn asked, looking around the room.

"Oh, he's still with Terr--" Ziggy began, looking to Summer. He realized that Summer still had no idea that Tenaya wasn't herself anymore. "Tenaya." he corrected himself.

"Is she alright?" Summer asked with a hint of resentment. She still hated herself for using the only remaining cure on Tenaya, even if it was what Dillon wanted. Needless to say she had harsh feelings towards her.

Flynn nodded. "Aye, she's fine. She just needs to get some rest." he told her, knowing that he was holding back the real truth from her.

"So it worked?" Summer asked. "She's completely cured of the Venjix Virus?"

"Affirmative." Doctor K jumped in. "I was in the middle of completing her scan when Flynn walked in. But looking at her results now, she's going to make full recovery." she told them, examining a sheet of paper.

Summer sighed nervously before she asked her next question. "Is there…any way you could find another cure for Dillon? I know the pistol was destroyed after to the two shots but…there has to be something." she said.

"I'm working on that now. But I had to put it on hold for this." The doctor said, holding up a small golden key.

"What's that?" Ziggy asked, looking at the object.

"The only thing that's capable of destroying Venjix." Doctor K answered bluntly.

"And how's that?" Flynn asked, folding his arms.

"As you all know…I had a hand in creating the computer program known as Venjix, and the Venjix Virus as well, thus giving Venjix his main source of power." Doctor K began.

"Yeah…" Ziggy asked in a drone.

"Given the fact that I have a vast knowledge of his technologies, I know Venjix's strengths…as well as his weaknesses." she went on.

"And that key is his weakness?" Summer asked, pointing at the key.

"No. It's what the key's encrypted with that holds his weakness." Doctor K said, giving Summer the key to observe. "Inside that key is a virus that, if implanted into Venjix correctly, can destroy him from the inside." she explained.

"Yeah, that's all well and good, but how can we implant him with the virus? I mean, its not like he's going to let us just walk up to him and input it." Flynn said, not entirely convinced of this plan.

"Turn your attention to my monitors." Doctor K said, pulling up a profile of Venjix. "Venjix has an opening in his upper right shoulder that he uses to upgrade himself of implant himself with new data." she told them, pointing to the figure on the screen's shoulder. "This is where the key should be inserted."

"So," Ziggy said suddenly, jumping from his chair, "it's like when Shifter implanted that key into Scott to control him…right?"

"Uh, right." Doctor K answered nervously. Ziggy still had the power to make her heart skip a beat. But she shook it off and continued with her briefing. "Once the key is in place, I'll enter the activation code that will render him defenseless. _That's_ when you make your move and annihilate him once and for all."

"But how can we get--" "--close enough to input the key?" Gem and Gemma asked at once.

"That's where _you_ come in, Ranger Yellow." Doctor K said looking to Summer.

"Me?" Summer asked in surprise.

"Yes. We're going to have you lower the shields like Venjix wants…or rather we're going to make it _look_ like you're going to." Doctor K added with a smirk.

"How are you going to do that?" Ziggy asked in confusion.

"I'll lower the shields long enough for you and the rangers to escape _before_ Venjix can get inside. Think of it like a booby-trap. Gem and Gemma will ambush him with their zords when he tries to get inside, giving you a small window of opportunity to sneak up on him in weak moment, and insert the key." Doctor K concluded.

"How small of a window?" Flynn asked hesitantly.

Doctor K sighed sharply. "Approximately ten seconds." she answered. She heard the rangers gasp in protest all around her. She knew that that wasn't a lot of time, but it was all she could do.

"Whoa…" Ziggy said in a discouraged tone, sliding back in his chair. "That _is_ a small window. It's… like a bird house window or something." he said, shaking his head. His strange comments getting him weird looks from the others. "What? Am I wrong here?" he asked them.

"No. Of course not." Doctor K swooned with a dreamy look on her face. When she noticed how she looked, she snapped herself out of it. "No!" she said more forcefully, clearing her throat. "Ten seconds is the maximum amount of time you have. I'm sorry, it's the best I can do. Then you'll have to--" she began again when the alarms cut her off.

Doctor K and the others all ran over to her computers to see what and where the threat was. "What is it, Doc?" Flynn asked.

"I'm not sure." She trailed off, typing quickly on her computers. "I'm getting two signatures. I know one of them is Kilobyte, but the thing is, his readings are off the charts." she said with concern.

"Is the other signature giving off the same readings?" Ziggy asked, leaning over the doctor's chair.

"Yes, but his readings are so high its preventing me from identifying him." Doctor K said, upping her searches.

"Dillon." Summer said sadly. She didn't even have to look at the screen to know it was him. After hearing everything Venjix was planning with him, it didn't surprise her that he would use him to attack his own team.

Doctor K paused her typing when she heard Summer's words. "You're right." She said in shock, looking at the screen deeply. "This _is_ Ranger Operator Series Black. It seems Venjix must have given him an 'upgrade'."

"There's only one way to find out. Come on team." Flynn announced, he and his team rushing to their cars. Summer stayed behind to do what Doctor K needed her to.

"Wait!" Ziggy yelled, peaking out of Flynn's car window. "What about Scott?" he asked.

"He's still too weak to fight. I'll brief him on everything while you're away. Just be careful of this new power!" She called out to them in response as they pulled away. "Be careful Ziggy…" She said softly to herself as she made her way back to her desk.

After hearing the alarms go off, Scott bolted into the room. "Doctor K, what's going on!?" he asked quickly, running to she and Summer.

"Kilobyte and Dillon are attacking the city." Summer answered glumly.

Scott looked at the computer screen to further see what was going on. He was floored when he saw the new readings the two were giving off. "But these readings are way higher than either Dillon or Kilobyte should be giving off!" he yelled. "Do you know what generation this could be?" he asked.

"Yes." Doctor K began slowly. "It's…Generation 20."

Scott pounded the table and headed for his car. "I have to go help them!" he shouted.

"Wait!" Doctor K called out to him, rising from her chair. "You need to stay here and be briefed first! If everything doesn't go as planned, we might as well not even bother!"

Scott had opened the door to his car in preparation to leave, but Doctor K had gotten through to him. So he slammed the door back closed and headed back over to her. "Tell me what I need to do." he said in an irritated voice.

"Me too." A voice said from a few feet away. Scott, Summer and Doctor K all turned to see Terra in the doorway. "I want to help. If I had a hand in ever helping Venjix, I want to make things right." she told them.

"Fine." Doctor K said flatly. "Take a seat."


	24. Generation 20

The rangers followed their coordinates from Doctor K to the woods. The moon was full and hung high in the air. A faint layer of fog drifted across the air, adding to the already eerie feelings the rangers had. But they knew what they had to do, they'd have to face Dillon and Kilobyte in battle, new generations and all. They weren't surprised that when they got there they didn't immediately see their opponents. Given how late and dark this night was it would give them a perfect opportunity to ambush them.

Summer on the other hand didn't care that she didn't see them yet from the monitors of the lab. She was actually relieved. The longer the two took to actually show up, the longer she could put off watching the team fight the man she loved. She knew that this time she and the others would have to take things up a notch. They would have to do far more than defend themselves if they wanted to survive. It was hard enough fighting off Dillon _before_ he was upgraded. She shuttered to think what this fight was going to be like this go around.

When they finally got to their destination, they all dismounted their bikes and exited their vehicles. Ziggy jumped out of Flynn's car nervously.

"This is creepy…" he said with fear in his voice as he closed the car door. "It's like a horror movie or something."

"Let's just--" "--be careful." Gem and Gemma said with a gulp as they looked around for any sign of their opponents.

"They've got to be around here somewhere." Flynn said as he looked around the dim woods himself. The fog was making it hard for the rangers to see anything.

"Boy, nothing gets by you, does it Blue Ranger?" a familiar voice said from beyond the trees. When the rangers looked up to see who it was, they saw the silhouette of Kilobyte. When the fog puffs finally parted, they saw that he looked completely different than he had in their last battle. His altogether stance and build was much greater, his eyes glowed in a harsh green color, and his armor was laced entirely in indestructible gold. They saw that he now held a sword in each of his hands as opposed to one.

"Is that…" Ziggy began with a lump in his throat.

"Kilobyte?" Flynn finished for him in just as much awe.

"Not exactly." Kilobyte answered, pushing himself off of the tree he was leaning against. "That pathetic body I called a home before was only Generation 17, whereas now I'm none other than…Generation 20!" he said proudly.

"Wow…that's what you call--" "--a major upgrade!" Gem and Gemma exclaimed in near unison.

Kilobyte snickered at the fear in their faces. "You don't know the half of it." he said in an evilly low voice. He then raised the two of his swords and thrusted them forward, hurling a large, black, smoke like energy at the rangers. This quickly brought the rangers crashing to the ground. When they made contact with the dirt, they fought to get standing again.

"Okay…" Ziggy groaned painfully, "so he wasn't kidding."

Kilobyte snickered once more as he rested one of his swords on his shoulder. "And that's not even the best part." he told them. A moment later he snapped his fingers and another figure emerged in the fog. The figure stood next to Kilobyte in honor. When a breeze blew the fog away, the figure was revealed.

"No way…" Flynn exclaimed with wide eyes as he made it to his feet.

Gem and Gemma fought to stand as well. "There's no way--" "--it can't be…" the two began in utter shock.

"That's rangers," Kilobyte said happily, "this is the new and improved Generation 20 Ranger Operator Series Black." he said, presenting the ranger to the others.

"Oh man, Dillon…" Ziggy moaned sadly as he saw how different he looked. He looked more different than any of them had ever imagined. His hair was shorter and somehow lighter and messed all over the place, it shot out in spikes here and there. His complexion was very light and almost frail looking, and on the right side of his face he had the same markings Tenaya had when she was upgraded by Venjix. It was encrypted data right next to his right eye. The look on his face was nothing like she was used to. He looked so angry with them, like they had caused some sort of strife in his life that couldn't be repaid. He looked like he wanted them annihilated.

"That's right, Ranger Green. Venjix thought it would be ironic if you rangers fell at his hand." Kilobyte chuckled, looking at his new ally. "I would enjoy it immensely myself."

"You've got it all wrong, Kilobyte!" Ziggy yelled, wanting to defend his friend. "Dillon may have fought us from time to time, but he would _never_ destroy us, no matter how much technology you fill him with!"

"Think again." Dillon suddenly said. The tone in his voice struck fear in the hearts of the rangers. They had never heard Dillon speak when the virus was controlling him, it sounded so deep and evil. Next the Black Ranger pulled out his Rocket Blaster and fired it at them, throwing them backwards in a small explosion.

Once the rangers got their bearings again, they dusted themselves off and got on their guard.

"What did you do to him you fiend!!" Flynn shouted at Kilobyte.

"Venjix generously decided to upgrade the both of us, why let super natural robotics go to waste." Kilobyte smirked when he answered. "The one you knew as 'Dillon' is gone." he told them.

"What do we do, Flynn?" Ziggy asked with a gulp.

Flynn hurried to think of anything he could do so that he wouldn't bring harm to Dillon or the team. He was leader of this operation whether he wanted to be or not. "We buy ourselves some time until Scott and Summer can lure out Venjix." he finally replied.

Then the team watched as Flynn pulled out his morphed and activated it, when they saw him do this, they decided to do the same. "Ready?" The Blue Ranger asked them.

"Ready!" The answered.

"RPM! Get in gear!!" The four rangers called out, morphing into their ranger forms.

Kilobyte aimed his swords at the rangers in preparation. "Ignorant fools." he mumbled lowly. He knew the rangers didn't stand a chance against he and Ranger Black, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to enjoy watching them try.

XXX

Back at the Garage, Scott, Summer, Terra and Doctor K confirmed their end of the plan. They examined the computer screen to see how the others were doing and if Venjix was planning on making any sort of appearance. Summer felt her heart sink when she saw Dillon on the screen in his new look.

"Oh, Dillon…" she sighed sadly, running her fingers over his face on the screen. She felt tears begin to form in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt angry, she balled her fists in fury and ran over to her bike, grabbing her jacket along the way.

"Ranger Yellow! Where are you going!?" Doctor K called out to her.

"I have to go to him!" she cried, placing her helmet on her head and snapping it on. "I have to keep him away from Venjix!"

"What? Why?" Scott asked in confusion. "He's already lost control to Venjix!" he reminded her.

Summer sighed before she started her bike and turned towards Scott. "You know that weapon Venjix has been constructing? He's planning on using Dillon to fire it." she told them.

Scott walked over to Summer to try and calm her. "But can't we wait for him to get where we need him to so we can ambush him?" he asked her.

"No!" Summer yelled so loud that it echoed throughout the room.

"Why not?" Scott asked again.

"Because whoever fires that weapon will get obliterated themselves." Summer told the Red Ranger sadly, hanging her head. She took a tighter grip on her handle bars and fought back tears.

Scott stood there stunned for a moment, letting what Summer just told him sink in. He had no idea that Venjix would take his control over Dillon this far. "That's why he wanted Dillon all along. Venjix knew Dillon was stronger than the rest of us and could handle a weapon of that magnitude, then used his loss of memory to pin him against us. So if he gained control of him and made him fire, it would take us all out in one fell swoop." he said, piecing everything together.

"Exactly." Summer answered. "That's why I have to go to him. Please understand." She said, looking at Scott with sad eyes. He understood why she wanted to leave, and wanted to condone her leaving.

"Wait, Ranger Yellow!" Doctor K yelled to her. "Given Ranger Black's new Generation 20 programming, there is no evidence that you will be able to reach his conscience."

Summer just shrugged sadly. "I don't care. I have to try." she told her, then turned back to Scott. "Scott, _you_ lower the shields. I'll do everything I can to keep Dillon and Venjix away from each other. Hopefully that'll stop him from being able to use the weapon." she said, looking for validation from Scott.

"You might be destroyed in the process." Doctor K told her with a hint of concern in her voice. "Why are you doing this anyways?" she asked. She couldn't fathom why Summer would risk her life for someone that would easily destroy her.

Summer sighed softly before she answered. "Because…I'm in love with him." she answered softly. The others looked at her for a moment, giving her the validation she wanted. Seconds later she pulled away.

Doctor K felt a part of her freeze when she heard Summer say those words. This made her realize why Summer was doing what she was. Her love for Dillon made her do anything for him, no matter what happened to her, because he was that important to her. She could now sympathize because she was in love with a certain ranger herself.

"Is that true?" Terra asked in a soft voice, breaking the silence. "Summer's in love with Derek?"

"No." Scott answered with a hard sigh, running his fingers through his hair. This only reminded him that much more that even if Dillon could be saved, he would never be himself again. "She's in love with Dillon." he told her. This felt like a nightmare, because no matter what happened at the end of all of this, Summer was going to lose Dillon one way or the other.


	25. Giving Chase

Back at the woodland battlefield, the rangers fought the two new Generation 20 adversaries with every ounce of gumption they had. Even though they were being thrown around here and there, they focused their physical attacks solely on Kilobyte while they remained on the defensive with Dillon. Although the dangerous pair were undoubtedly outnumbered, they were handling the rangers with surprising ease. Once they were thrown back and forth enough times, they pulled back for a moment to rest.

"We're getting thrashed!" Flynn cried as he took hold of his aching shoulder.

"They're just--" "--too strong!" Gem and Gemma whimpered to one another, helping each other up.

Kilobyte rose his swords in victory and readied himself to use them. "Ha ha!! You rangers are more pathetic than I thought! You may as well retreat while you're still breathing!" he shouted at them.

What Kilobyte didn't notice was Dillon staring off into space as if her were trying to figure something out. His mind was somewhere else, he didn't even remember how he had even gotten here. He turned to the colorful rangers lying in the grass and he couldn't help but get the feeling that something was wrong. He saw faint, blurry streaks in his mind of those rangers and himself fighting _against_ Kilobyte.

"Oh, how I've waited for this…" Kilobyte scowled as he drew closer to the weaker rangers with his swords held high.

"Wait!" Dillon said in a softer than usual voice, holding out his arm to stop Kilobyte.

"Wait!? What are you talking about?!" Kilobyte screamed at him in fury.

Dillon took a moment to try and fathom why he was stopping Kilobyte from ending the rangers. After failing to get an answer, he shook his head and lowered his arm. "N-nothing." he said faintly.

"That's what I thought." Kilobyte grumbled, pulling away from the Black Ranger.

Just as Kilobyte was about to make his strike, he felt a small beam clip him in the right shoulder. He screamed as it made contact and dropped his swords.

"Who did that?!" he screamed in fury as he looked around for the culprit. When he looked behind him, he saw Summer decked out in her ranger form.

"That's enough, Kilobyte!!" She shouted at him, holding up her smoking blaster.

"So, Ranger Yellow, you've decided to come out and play?" he snickered, grabbing his swords off of the ground. "Guess this means you decided _not_ to help Venjix after all?" he asked.

"I never wanted to help him! You both forced me!" Summer cried back, pointing in his direction.

"Well, take a good look at your precious Ranger Black, because Venjix _will_ hear about this!" Kilobyte replied as he darted off to warn his master of their traitor.

"No!" Summer screamed. She knew that if Kilobyte were to tell Venjix that she didn't give in to his demands, not only would he never bring Dillon back, he'd probably destroy him without a second thought. So she bolted after him as fast as her legs would take her.

"I don't think so!" Kilobyte retaliated, snapping his fingers, causing Dillon to jump in front of her and stop her.

"Dillon, stop! Please! He's just going to use you and destroy you!" She screamed at him, trying to get around him unsuccessfully.

Dillon just peered down at her with his evil red eyes. "Venjix is my master, he would never destroy me." he said in a deep and eerie voice.

"Dillon," Summer began, trying to calm herself, "Venjix has warped your mind! He just wants to use you to destroy the city then he's going to throw you away! You have to believe me!"

When Dillon still wouldn't let her go, she threw him off of her and began to give chase to Kilobyte. She ran a few feet before she was jerked to a stop by Dillon grabbing her arm.

"No!" She screamed again struggling to break free. "Flynn! Gem! Gemma! Ziggy! You've got to stop Kilobyte before he gets to Venjix!" she called out to them. She could tell they were bashed and tired, but she was bound and determined to make this come to an end.

"You heard her, mates," Flynn groaned as he found it in himself to stand, "let's go." he finished. Seconds later he and the others were running after Kilobyte.

XXX

"Scott, you have to lower the shields _now_!" Doctor K shouted at the Red Ranger with urgency.

"Now?" Scott said from his computer chair. "But Summer and the others are being pummeled by Kilobyte and Dillon!" he yelled, pointing this out on the screen.

"If you don't do it now, Kilobyte will tell Venjix that Summer betrayed him, which will make him want revenge on her, causing him to summon Dillon to fire the weapon and not only annihilate us, but the entire city." Doctor K informed him.

"Doctor K, if you'd just give me their coordinates--I'm gone. I'll help stop him." he assure her, trying to make her not do anything too drastic before it was needed.

"You feel you can assist them in this operation?" Doctor K asked, looking at him with uncertainty.

"It's better than me sitting here helpless doing nothing." He told her. Doctor K knew he was team leader and he always wanted to aid the team if ever they were in danger. His being out of commission so long was killing him, he wanted to do whatever he could to make sure everyone in his team made it out of this alive.

"Please be careful, Ranger Red. This is all riding on you and your team." She told him, knowing he could do more on the battlefield than here in the lab.

"Thanks, Doc." he answered, heading to his car. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"I'm coming too!" Terra jumped in, running to Scott's car as well.

Doctor K looked at her in disbelief. "What?" she asked.

"I want to help Scott fight off Venjix and save my brother. I want to make him pay for what he did to me and Derek. I want to make him pay for what he's done to everybody." She explained.

Doctor K could see the sincerity in her face, she and Scott knew that she wasn't going to back down. And seeing how they were already down a ranger, they could use all the help they could get. They thought, if she wanted to repent for working for Venjix, she should be able to do so.

"You're sure about this?" Scott asked her from his car.

"It's the _only _thing I'm sure of." She answered softly, looking at him with hurt eyes.

"Get in." Scott said, tilting his head towards the passenger seat.

"Thank you." Terra answered softly, hopping in the seat next to him.

"I'll program the coordinates into your morphed." Doctor K told him, walking up to his car door. "Here." she added, handing Scott the key with the virus. "It's the only way to stop him." she said.

"You can count on us, Doc." he assured her with a warm smile. She smiled back and nodded.

Just as he started his car, he heard a familiar voice come from his morpher.

"Dad?" Scott asked in confusion.

"Yeah." Colonel Truman answered softly. "I just wanted to say, well…be careful, son." he said slowly. He knew this battle with Venjix wasn't going to be an easy one, and this may be the last time he and Scott speak.

"Wow…" Scott said in surprise. "Thanks, dad." he said, this simple call making him smile inside and out. He finally felt that he had his father's approval, and more than that--his respect.

"I believe in you. We all do." Truman answered. "Now stop this computer virus once and for all."

"I'll give it my all." Scott told him gently. "Goodbye…dad." he said, hoping this really wasn't 'Goodbye'. This gave him the confidence boost he needed to get ready to face Venjix once and for all. After a moment of mental preparation, he called out to Doctor K.

"Ok, Doc…lower the shields." he told her, gripping the steering wheel in front of him.

"Affirmative." Doctor K said with a lump in her throat as she typed a few keystrokes. "Lowering the shields." she said lowly. After a moment the computer began to beep loudly. "By my calculations, Venjix will be notified of the shields lowering and be on his way here in about seven minutes." she warned them.

Scott turned to Terra and as he started the car. "You ready, Terra?" he asked her.

She nodded in response. "Let's save this city." she said with determination.

Then Scott moved he stick shift and sped off to settle the score once and for all.


	26. Out of the Woods

In the depths of Venjix's base, alarms rang loudly throughout the room, alerting him that the shields were finally lowered and he needed to make his move. He rose from his throne and walked to his weapon, picking it up.

"What do you know…" he said softly, stroking the weapon with his hand, "that little pest proved herself useful after all. She must really love that ranger." he continued, walking towards the exit of his lair. "Too bad I need him for one last mission." he snickered, cocking the gun in his hands. "This is where it ends." he sneered, storming out of the room.

Scott and Terra drove as fast as they could through the dusty roads of outer Corinth, looking for Venjix himself. Knowing they had such a small window of time made them nervous, so the faster they found him, the better.

"Scott?" Terra suddenly said softly.

Scott kept his gaze on the road. "Yeah?" he asked.

"What was my brother like? You know…before he was taken over by Venjix?" she asked, looking down at her shifting hands.

Scott took a moment to think before he answered. He never really thought about how to describe Dillon, he hadn't really known him that long himself, and what time he did know him, they were mostly fighting. But he searched inside himself for the right words.

"Sad." he answered, unable to look at Terra's face. He knew this wouldn't be the answer she was hoping for, but he wanted to be honest with her.

"Why?" Terra asked sadly.

"He was just so…lost." he told her. "All he wanted to do was find his past--figure out who he was and where he came from." he went on. He paused for a moment and turned over to look at Terra. "He really wanted to find you." he said.

Terra looked up in surprise. "Why? I thought he didn't remember me?" she said.

"Well, not too long ago you decided to leave Venjix and work with us. You knew Dillon was your brother and the two of you were finally reunited. But…" Scott trailed off suddenly.

"Venjix took over me again…just like he's doing with Derek now." Se finished for him, nodding her head.

"…Yeah." Scott answered lowly. The next time he looked at Terra, he saw her look down in sadness. He hadn't meant to make her sad, it was just the grim reality of things. "He'll be okay." he said suddenly to ease her fears. "That guy always manages to find a way out of everything. As long as he has Summer--"

"Summer?" Terra interrupted. "What did she do?"

"She's gotten him out of some real binds and vice versa. She kept him safe as much as she could. I guess you could say she…brought some life into him." Scott told her.

"I'll have to thank her for that." Terra answered in a soft voice. It made her feel a little better knowing that, in her absence, her brother was being taken care of. She jerked forward when she felt the car screech to a halt. "What? What is it!?" she shouted nervously.

"Venjix." Scott said in a low, gruff voice, opening his door. When he got out, he looked back in at Terra. "You don't have to do this." he reminded her.

"I know." She nodded. "I want to." She said as she exited the car as well.

"Why don't you go crawl back into your hole, Venjix!?" Scott yelled in disgust at the super computer.

"Nice of you to greet me, Red Ranger, I'd love to shoot the breeze with you and that traitor, but I have things to do." Venjix sneered, glaring at Terra evilly. Scott looked over to her to see her tremble a little. He took her arm gently.

"It's alright." he told her sweetly as he took a stance in front of her. "You're not going anywhere, Venjix. This is the end for you." he went on, pointing forward.

"Pretty strong words coming from a leader who lost a ranger." Venjix said coldly, hoping to strike a nerve.

Terra ran from behind Scott and stood next to him. "You're going to pay for what you've done to him!" She called out in fury.

"Oh, is that you Tenaya 15?" Venjix asked her with a voice that made her skin crawl. Gone back to the side of good again have you?" he taunted her.

"I never wanted to join you Venjix!" She screamed at him. "You captured my brother and me forcing us to work for you!"

Venjix just folded his arms and chuckled. "Come back to the winning side, Tenaya. I gave you you're sight back, let me give you world domination as well." he said, trying to lure her over to his side.

"My name is Terra, and I would rather be blind than work for a scumbag like you." She said with tears forming in her eyes. She balled her fists tightly. "I'll never betray my brother, no matter what you do to me."

"Fine." Venjix said with a hiss. "But instead of taking your sight again, I'll take the lives of you and your friends as well!" he yelled, pounding his staff into the ground and getting into a fighting stance. "Let's end this!"

"Couldn't of said if better myself." Scott said lowly, pulling out his morpher. He pressed a few buttons to activate it. "RPM! Get in gear!!" he shouted, morphing into his ranger form.

"Don't leave me out." Terra smirked, stepping backwards, becoming enshrouded in her Tenaya 15 uniform.

Venjix laughed in a booming voice. "This should be interesting!" he laughed. And just like that, the battle was on.

XXX

Dillon continued to fight Summer mercilessly to keep her busy so Kilobyte could do what was needed. He wasn't going to let her ruin any plans that his master wanted. As he fought her, he felt twinges of something holding him back. Deep within himself, he felt he had a connection with this girl. But given what Venjix had done to his programming, he couldn't decipher the truth from the lies. So he fought on.

Summer went to grab him, but he grabbed her arm in return and pulled it behind her. "Dillon, please, listen to me!" She cried. "This isn't you! You have to think! You have to remember!"

"You're just feeding me lies!" he yelled in her ear. "Venjix warned me you'd try something like this!" he shouted again, throwing her off of him and fighting her once again. He was easily over throwing her because, not only was she getting tired, she cared about him deeply.

"But Venjix is the one who lied! He captured you and your sister implanting you with the Venjix Virus!" she screamed while duckling a punch to the head. "Don't you remember me being at the base with you?!"

Her words made Dillon stop suddenly. He shook his head as if her were trying to think of something. "He…he captured you too." he said softly.

"Yes!" Summer exclaimed, running to him. "He brought you back to me for just a moment…then…snatched you away again." she said sadly, her head beginning to hang.

"That prisoner…he told me to go after you." Dillon continued, searching deep within his memory for any sort of answer.

"Prisoner?" Summer asked in confusion. "The one chained to the wall next to me?"

Dillon nodded slightly. "Yeah…he said you were…important to me." he said, looking at her.

Summer nodded back at him. "And you're important to me too." she said, brushing his cheek softly with her hand. "You're everything to me." she spoke softly to him.

"Summer." Dillon said lowly, inching his head closer to hers. He was falling back into his old self. Summer was the only one who could snap him out of the virus. Something about this felt right to him. He trusted her. Just before the two could have their moment, the pain came surging back into Dillon's head. He cried out sharply, taking a tight grip on his head and stepping backwards.

"No, Dillon…" Summer whimpered.

"No!" Dillon shrieked. "It's all apart of your lies!" he screamed through his pain, pulling out his Nitro Blaster and aiming it at the Yellow Ranger. The pain was making it hard to aim, so it was difficult for him to keep the blaster on her.

Summer didn't care. She just ran to him and wrapped her arms tight around him, hugging him as hard as she could. His arm was still extended with the blaster, but that only made her hold him tighter.

"No." Summer said softly. "I'd never lie to you, Dillon. Just like you would to me. This isn't you. Come back to me." she pleaded, closing her eyes.

After a few moments, Dillon finally lowered his blaster and dropped it to the ground. "I don't know why, but something's telling me you're telling the truth." he told her, placing his hands on her waist. "Fine. I'll help you." he said.

Summer sighed with relief and hugged him once more. It was like she had Dillon back in her arms again--finally. If she was able to convince him that she was telling the truth, she knew it was only a matter of time before she had him back completely. Before she pulled away from him, the two found themselves looking at one another. Once again, the two leaned in for a tender moment, only to be interrupted by Flynn and Ziggy's cries for help.

"We have to stop Kilobyte from getting to Venjix." She told him quickly, starting to run off.

"Wait." Dillon said, grabbing her arm. "I can handle him. You go help your friends." he told her.

"No." Summer disagreed, shaking her head. "I can't risk losing you again."

"Kilobyte still trusts me. I can stop him, trust me. Go." he assured her. Although he was glad to have her back, he didn't want things to go sour because of one another. He knew this was the smartest way to go about things, and any risk was worth it. It was the only way.

"Okay." Summer said hesitantly with a smile. "Just be careful."

"No problem. I'm a hybrid remember?" He joked with a smile that made her feel at ease. "Go." he said once more. Summer nodded and mounted her bike, speeding off. Now all he had to do was handle Kilobyte, which was easier said than done.

Once Summer caught up with Ziggy and Flynn she ran to them. "Come on." she told them, running them to the jeep.

"What?! But we have to stop Kilobyte!" Flynn yelled in protest.

"Yeah, we have some serious hiney to kick!" Ziggy chimed in.

"Just trust me!" Summer yelled, hopping onto her bike next to the jeep. "Follow me!" she yelled, pulling away. Flynn just shrugged and followed after her.

Kilobyte watched the three rangers flee in utter confusion. "Running scared little weaklings?" he said with a cackle.

"No." Dillon said suddenly, emerging from behind a tree with his Rocket Blaster aimed at him. "They're running to destroy Venjix--just like I'm going to do with _you._" he said coldly.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you betrayed us." Kilobyte said unfazed, pulling out two of his swords for battle. "I'd like to see you try." he said. "I never trusted you."

"Smart move." Dillon answered, firing his blaster at Kilobyte. Much to his surprise, Kilobyte's new armor absorbed the beams one by one. Dillon paused for a moment . His eyes widened when he saw his blasts firing full force back at him. When they made it near him, he rolled out of the way, evading the attack.

"You underestimate me, Black Ranger! I'm not Generation 17 anymore!!" Kilobyte boasted, twirling his swords about.

"No…" Dillon replied slowly, extending his blaster into sword mode, he darted in a flash over to Kilobyte and slash him hard across the abdomen, making him stagger. "You underestimate_ me._" he continued with a smirk at his blow.

But in one swift motion, Kilobyte spun around slashing Dillon twice in the chest with his two swords, answering the blow twice over. The two collapsed simultaneously on the ground from one another's blows, clutching the areas in which they were hit. Seconds later they were struggling to get back on their feet. As Kilobyte fought to stand, he pressed a small, hidden button on the side of his belt that summoned a group of about twelve Grinders. A pair of the Grinders grabbed onto Dillon, constricting him.

"Let go of me! Stop!!" he roared as he fought to get free.

Kilobyte laughed proudly, resting his sword on a shoulder. "It's over, ranger. Venjix _will_ prevail!!" he yelled, running off to warn his master that there was another traitor in their midst.

"No!!" Dillon screamed at the top of his lungs, dominating the Grinders that held him. The remaining Grinders soon followed. Once he was on his own, he was finally able to run after Kilobyte--only fifteen seconds behind him.


	27. Black Out

Scott and Terra were getting thrashed by Venjix. His brutal attacks were nailing them over and over, leaving them little opportunity to attack themselves. When Scott thought he found an opening, he attempted to hit Venjix with a hi-jump kick. But he wasn't going to go down so easily, he simply punched Scott hard in the chest before he was able to reach him, lurching him backwards. Scott groaned as he made contact with the ground, cradling his ribs. Venjix made his way over to where Terra lay on the ground. He grabbed her arm tightly, pulling her upwards, causing her to cry out in anguish.

"Terra…" Scott choked out as he reached for her from the ground. He wanted to go to her, but his injuries rendered him immobilized.

Venjix looked at Terra quiver in his hands. "I'll make you pay for betraying me, Tenaya 7. I gave you a chance to join me in world domination, and you refuse? What little you had of a pure life is over." he sneered in her face, preparing a orb of energy in his hands to fire at her. But before his attack made contact with her, he was pummeled with a flurry of beams, releasing her, making her fall back to the ground. He was temporarily paralyzed from the blast.

When Terra looked over her shoulder, she saw Flynn and Summer running to help her up, and Ziggy running to aid Scott.

"Are you okay?" Ziggy asked Scott, helping his stand with his rib wounds.

"Yeah." Scott answered with a harsh wince. "You came just in time." Ziggy guided him over to where Flynn, Summer and Terra were. He was relived when he saw that she was standing on her own and didn't have any serious injuries. "Are you okay, Terra?" he asked gently.

"Yeah…" She replied with a shaky voice. She thought she could handle a battle with Scott by her side, but truth was, she wasn't ready for it.

"How long have the two of you been fighting alone?" Flynn asked.

"Not long." Scott answered. "But feels like it. Where's Dillon and Kilobyte?" he asked, fearing he had another battle with the pair ahead of him.

"Dillon's handling Kilobyte." Summer jumped in with a proud smile.

Ziggy shook his head in confusion, placing a finger to his chin. "W-wait, I thought Dillon was fighting _against_ us?" he asked her.

Summer shook her head happily. "Not anymore." She assured them. "You're just going to have to trust me."

"We have no choice." Scott conceded. "We'll trust you."

Noticing that Venjix's stun was wearing off, the rangers all readied themselves by getting in the correct stance.

"Foolish rangers!!" he screamed in fury. "You really think I'd go down that easily?! The five of you don't stand a chance against the likes of me!!" he warned them.

"Well, how about--" "--_seven _rangers?" Two familiar voices called from the distance. It was Gem and Gemma up above in the famous Chicken Zord, firing what seemed to be endless shots on Venjix. From the constant blasts, sand flew up from the ground in a frenzy, enshrouding everything around them. It was impossible to see any further than a few inches in front of you.

Once the sand began to settle, Gem and Gemma descended from their zord down to join their team.

"Take that!!" Gem cheered.

"Yeah, you nasty computer virus!" Gemma added, and the two slapped one another's hands in victory.

But once the sand was completely cleared, they noticed something that made their hearts leap into their throats.

"Wait, where's Venjix?" Flynn stammered as he looked all around himself.

Before he could get an answer, he and the others heard Doctor K's voice come through their morpher. "Rangers!!" She called out to them. This made the ranger immediately, pull out their morphers, holding them to their ears.

"Rangers, please come quick!" She cried with severe urgency in her voice. "Venjix has reached the dome!! His exact coordinates are--" she began when the feed went dead.

"Doctor K?!" Scott shouted loudly into his morpher. "Doctor K?!!" he shouted again. He felt a chill run down his spine when he still failed to get any sort of response. He looked to the others in panic.

"Let's go." Summer insisted. Then she and the others ran back to the Garage.

XXX

Once Venjix was inside the dome, he stabbed his staff into the ground and took a look around. He was greeted by Colonel Truman and his officers, firing over and over again at him. He chuckled, as these blasts did nothing to him. They simply bounced off relentlessly.

"Fall back!" Colonel Truman ordered as he and his force drew back a considerable amount of yards. Once they felt they were at a safe distance, they awaited further instructions. "Proceed with fire!" he yelled, as they did as they were told. Though it still did nothing, this was all they could do at the moment. They would have to hope it would eventually do something.

"Pitiable fools." Venjix mumbled beneath his breath, pulling out a small, powerful blaster of his own. He aimed it into the air and fired it. When he did so, a gigantic burst of energy shot into the sky and exploded into thousands of smaller bursts that rained down on Truman and his troop. This took them all out of commission--and fast.

Up in the tower above Corinth, General Vasquez fought desperately to keep the shields and the weather system in tact. When she felt the jolt from Venjix blasts, she feared something terrible had happened.

"Colonel Truman, do you copy?" she asked nervously. She paused for a moment, hoping for an answer. "Colonel Truman?" she asked again in fear something had happened to him. Her fears had been confirmed--someone had cut the feed to the communication tower. It hit her that Venjix himself caused the circuits to jam.

She yelped when she felt the tower jolt again and start to buckle. Above her, when she looked to the sky, she saw it turn a fierce shade of blue, none like she had ever seen before--it looked unreal. She ran to her computer, hoping that she could get a hold of someone else.

"Doctor K!" she cried. "Venjix has tapped into the weather grid and my override codes are useless!" She yelled, trying her codes over and over only finding them to be useless. When she looked to the sky again she saw clouds rolling in and thunder beginning to rumble.

"Remain calm, Vasquez. I'll attempt to fix the problem now." the doctor assured her, as she began to type quickly on her own computer.

While Doctor K was imputing her codes to stabilize the weather, everything around her suddenly went dark. All the power in the garage, and the city of Corinth had been shut down.

When Vasquez saw the darkness all around her, she felt her body tense and freeze. "Doctor K?" She asked in a frightened voice. "Doctor K!!" she yelled once more. She looked at the darkness around her and then to the ominous sky above her and grabbed her shoulders. "Oh no…" she whimpered as she slid down into her seat.

Back in the Garage, Doctor K banged hard on her keyboard and computer trying to get it to come on again. But it didn't take her long to realize that this was a useless feat. All the power in Corinth was out, and she knew it was the work of none other than Venjix himself. She rose from her desk and took a peek outside, she gulped when she was aware that she would have to leave the Garage, which she had never been comfortable with. But the fact that the sun wasn't out, made her feel a bit more at ease. It was up to her to make sure that the rangers get back into the city before Venjix raised the shields again. She was reminded of how little time she had to do so when she heard the shields beginning to rise a little ways away. She ran over to her table, grabbing a blaster of her own, and left the Garage, knowing full well that if the rangers didn't make it through the dome in time, Corinth was doomed.

XXX

Once Venjix knew that the soldiers were out of his way, and the rangers would soon be trapped outside of the dome, he continued to the heart of Corinth to proceed with his plan. He had made it this far and wasn't about to fail now. He turned to the Grinder functioning next to him with a large black container holding the weapon. He took it from the Grinder and opened it to see his work.

"Soon this city will only be a memory…" he said with a snicker, continuing on to his destination--the Corinth Baseball Stadium.

When he finally made it there, he began to set up the weapon on the pitchers mound. The weapon looked like a large black metal gun with a series of switches and buttons all up and down the sides of it. The barrel was as large as a car tire, and held enough power to annihilate the city into shambles.

Venjix let out a booming laughter. "I can't wait to see this city crumble!!" he shouted, enjoying the eerie darkness that surrounded him. The only light was from the moon above.


	28. The Shields Come Tumbling Down

The shields were falling and falling fast, now close to half-way to the dusty ground that divided the city of Corinth from the Wastelands. Doctor K was right next to them, trying as hard as she could to hack into the fuse box at the gate. She pounded the wall next to the box in fury as she was having no luck with her hacking. The ground beneath her began to rumble from the heft of the shields growing closer, making it hard for her to maneuver the way she needed to.

She peered outside the small space between the shields and the ground to see if there were any signs of the rangers. "Come on, guys!" She yelled out. "I know you can make it!" she said anxiously, pacing back and forth.

Meanwhile, the colorful team was running as fast as they could to make it back to the city in time. They leapt over heaps of scrap metal and big mounds of sand, never breaking stride.

"Come on all!" Flynn screamed as he looked at those behind him. "The shields are almost down!!"

Doctor K could faintly hear the Blue Ranger's voice from beyond the dome. She could sense that they were close. "Ranger Blue?" she asked herself in a soft voice, running the opening.

"Go! Go! Go!!" She heard Scott call out next.

A smile hit her face when she saw her rangers getting closer. She helped pull them through once they finally made it there. She had never been so happy to see Scott, Flynn, Summer, Gem, and Gemma. She even felt glad to see that Terra was safe and sound. She never realized how much the rangere meant to her until this moment. She tried to not get any close ties with anyone so she wouldn't be hurt, but she had without realizing it.

"Rangers, you're alright!" She cheered with a sigh of relief, running to them.

When she looked around, she saw that one ranger was missing. Gemma was the last one to come through the gate but she continued to watch expectantly. After a moment, when she realized she was the last one, she felt panic fill her body.

"Wait…where's Ranger Green?" she asked in a frightened voice. She looked all around once more, hoping that she had just missed him come in.

Scott looked behind his shoulders worriedly. "He's not with us?"

Doctor K ran up to Scott and grabbed his shoulders in full fledged panic. "Where's Ranger Green!?!" she screamed again, much louder. "I have to know he's okay! Tell me he's okay!" she cried.

Seconds later, Ziggy rolled through the opening of the shields, hitting her legs. "Stupid sand dunes!" he grumbled as he stood and dusted himself off. "I can't run for anything." he said with a sigh. Next he looked over to the group with a smile. "Miss me?" he asked, completely oblivious to what had happened.

"Ranger Green!!" Doctor K rejoiced, grabbing onto Ziggy and holding him tight as she could. "You're okay! You're really okay!" she cried in joy.

Ziggy just looked to the others in confusion, then to Doctor K clinging to him. "Uh…yeah. I just trip on a sand pile back there. They're _everywhere_, y'know." he explained. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at the doctor.

When she continued to hug him, he eyes suddenly shot open in horror. "Um-uh! Yeah, f-fine. I'm fine. Super!" she stammered, separating from him, clearing her throat. "Th-thanks for asking."

"Well, _we _may be fine, but where are Dillon and Kilobyte?" he asked, looking around at the few people around. None of them were Dillon, or even Kilobyte for that matter.

Summer threw her hand over her mouth and gasped as she heard this. She hadn't realized Dillon didn't make it through yet, and the shields were almost completely lowered. Once they were down, she knew that no one was going to be able to get in or out. She knew if Dillon _was_ out there, he'd have to get here--and fast.

XXX

Dillon was hot on Kilobyte's trail, trying to make sure that he didn't get to Venjix before he could. If he were to be too late, Venjix would take control of him for good--his life was on the line. His enhanced speed, which would normally assist him in this type of situation, was proving useless due to Kilobyte's extravagant upgrade. Sand blew all around him and fell beneath his feet, making it all the more difficult to run.

The two noticed almost simultaneously that the shields were almost closed. It looked like only one of them was going to get through, and they were bound and determined to make sure it was them who did it.

"Sorry, Ranger!" Kilobyte yelled over his shoulder while he ran. "Only one of us is making it through--and it's going to be me!" he said, throwing a swords at Dillon behind him.

Dillon ducked and dodged the sword with a roll. Once he regained his balance he found it in himself to run even faster. "Not while _I'm_ still breathing!" he screamed in turn, leaping into the air and landing on Kilobyte's back. The two crashed to the ground from Dillon's jump and started to roll towards the shields, gaining speed.

From inside the dome, the others could see this all unfold. They saw as Dillon and Kilobyte fought one another to be the one who made it through the shields.

"I have to help him!" Summer cried, beginning to run to the shields. She jerked back when Scott grabbed her. "Let go!" she demanded.

"I can't let you do that Summer! If you go out, there's a good chance you won't get back in. Dillon would never forgive me for that!" Scott shouted to try and get some sense into her.

"How can he if he's _dead_!?" Summer screamed back at him, her hair blowing in her face.

The two rangers froze when they heard both Dillon and Kilobyte scream. It was then that they noticed they were hurled forward, separating from one another. One being flew through the shields into safety. A being none other than Dillon.

Kilobyte on the other hand landed right under the shields divider and was crushed to pieces by the heavy metal shields. The battle was over and Dillon was the victor--Kilobyte was gone forever.

Scott and Flynn ran over to the remains of the computer to make sure he was really gone, while Summer ran to the one she loved and helped him stand.

"Dillon, are you okay?" She asked, grabbing him hard.

"Yeah." Dillon answered softly, trying to catch his breath. "Did Kilobyte make it through?" he asked hesitantly.

Scott peered down at the random pieces of metal scattered about and chuckled. "Ha ha, almost!"

Dillon looked over to where Scott was and saw that Kilobyte had been crushed by the shields. "Guess he's really gone." he said with a sigh of relief. "Man, glad that wasn't me."

"Us too." Summer told him, hugging him that much tighter. She shuttered to think that that could have been Dillon annihilated under the shields instead of Kilobyte. But he was in her arms, that alone made her know he was alive.

"Thanks." Dillon answered with a smile. It made him feel good that Summer cared so much for him. He hugged her back gently and rested his head on top of hers. Though he wasn't a hundred percent sure who he could or could not trust, he could feel in deep inside that this side was right.

"Now the only question is--where is Venjix?" Ziggy asked nervously.

"I know." Dillon said suddenly, surprised at his own words. He had no idea how he knew what he did. "I heard Venjix talking when I was with him last." he said.

"Awesome! Where?" Scott asked quickly. He thought with a piece of inside information like this, Corinth may just stand a chance after all. This gave them a chance to prepare an ambush.

Summer raised a brow nervously when she saw Dillon place his hand on his head. He had a look of pain on his face and he began to shake. His breathing had intensified greatly in the pass few seconds.

"Dillon?" She asked in fear, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The next sound she and the others heard was a cry of anguish from Dillon. It was like a nightmare for Summer. She watched as he fell to the ground once again, clutching the sides of his head tightly. She thought the virus was conquered--she thought he had beaten it.

"No, not again!" She cried as she knelt beside him.

"**I WARNED YOU YELLOW RANGER!!**" A booming voice yelled from behind the rangers. They turned to see Venjix's face on a large screen on the side of a skyscraper. "**I WARNED YOU IF YOU DIDN'T DO MY BIDDING, THE BLACK RANGER WAS MINE!!** **NOW THE BOTH OF YOU WILL PAY!!**" the screen went black a moment later.

"Venjix." Summer spoke in a horrified whisper. It had finally hit her that Venjix knew she wasn't the one who lowered the shields, and now he was taking his end of the deal. She looked at Dillon collapsed on the ground and felt this was all her fault. She still blamed herself for him not getting the cure in the first place, now he was Venjix's puppet again--and it killed her.

Terra ran next to her brother who was now writhing on the ground. "What do we do!? Venjix is torturing him!" she cried, running her hand softly over his forehead.

Just as he words ended, the Black Ranger shot up from the ground. He released the grip on his head and dusted himself off. He walked past the others with no words, being summoned to Venjix by the super computer himself--whether he'd be destroyed or not.

"Dillon, wait!" Ziggy called out after him. "I thought you were fighting with _us_ again1?" But his words never reached the Black Ranger, he just pressed on to the Corinth Stadium.

Scott looked at the others with concern. "He's in trouble--we all are. If he fires that weapon, we're finished." he said. "Let's go." he concluded, running after Dillon, the others following. Summer ran after him but was stopped by Doctor K.

Doctor K handed Summer the key from before. "You only have one chance to implant the virus into Venjix--make it count." she told her. "If not for us, then for Dillon."

Summer looked at the key in her hand and gripped in tightly. "I've had enough of this. I'm going to save this city." she said with determination, and ran after the others. She knew this was the final battle, this would be the end of it all. She just hoped this all had a happy ending, and that that happy ending included Dillon.

Doctor K watched them all run away and sighed. "Let's just hope you all make it through this." she said softly to herself.


	29. Rain Falls Down

Dillon staggered his way closer to Venjix. He felt himself shifting between good and evil with every step he took. His eyes flashed back and forth between crimson and brown, both sides wanting to gain control. The only sounds that came out of him were faint grunts of pain. He could feel that his wires were crossed from all the transferring back and forth, leading him not to know which way was up. Through the fog and darkness, he squinted ahead to see Venjix preparing himself on the pitchers mound of the stadium. At least he knew now where he was supposed to be.

Not far behind, the rangers were running after him. It was hard for them to keep track of where he was due to the fact of how dark it was and how fast Dillon's technology made him move. They knew Venjix was only a matter of a few steps away from completing his weapon--so they'd have to hurry. The rangers jumped when they heard a loud clap of thunder above and rain beginning to fall down hard in sheets. The flashes of lightening gave them enough light to see where Venjix and Dillon were. So they picked up their speed.

"Dillon, stop!!" Summer screamed at the top of her lungs through the rain. Not to her surprise, he didn't listen, he just continued to be summoned over to his new master. She grabbed her hair in dismay and cried out.

Scott ran over to her and placed an arm around her. "Come on, Summer." he told her in a gentle voice. "Dillon needs us."

As they started to press on once more, they heard Venjix's voice once more through the screen on the skyscraper.

"**LOOK AROUND, RANGERS!! THIS IS YOUR END! CORINTH WILL BE MINE!!**" He shouted at them in his boom of a voice. When the rangers looked to the screen they saw Venjix standing next to a large, gun-like weapon and Dillon on his other side, once again the computer's puppet. They saw him reach to the sky, as if he were summoning something more.

Suddenly, more orbs of energy began to rain down from the sky. The rangers exclaimed and covered their heads. Venjix knew this would keep the rangers at bay long enough for him to do what he had planned.

Scott just ran to his team to give an order. "We can't let Venjix make Dillon fire that weapon! We have to move!" he shouted as he dodged the orbs, and shielded his team from some.

"We have to use the key!!" Flynn screamed over the raining orbs and thunder.

Summer looked at the key in her hand. "But what about Dillon!?" she called out.

"What do you mean?" Ziggy yelled in response.

"I researched the key with the scanner…" Summer trailed off. The others could tell she was starting to become overwhelmed by all of this. She closed her eyes and whimpered before she answered. "This key can save him." she said, holding out the key.

The rangers looked at one another in shock. They didn't know what to do, they knew Dillon meant everything to Summer, but everything in Corinth would be destroyed if they used it one him as opposed to Venjix.

"Summer," Ziggy began in a solemn voice, "Dillon is my best friend. I care about him, I do…but, we have to use it on Venjix. He…the good Dillon…would want us to." he told her, sadly.

"It's our duties--" "--as Power Rangers!" Gem and Gemma added in as well.

"But…" Summer sniffled, peering down at the key, a tear began to fall down her cheek. "I love him." she told them, closing her eyes tightly.

"Summer…" Terra began, walking up to the Yellow Ranger, "he's my brother, and I love him too…but…" she trailed off, looking away from Summer. This was hard for her to say, and as much as she didn't want to, she knew she had to. "we have to do this. Please, make my brother a hero." she told her.

Orbs continued to fall from the sky at a heightened pace. Time was running out, and she would have to make her decision--and fast. Deep down, Summer knew that Dillon would want her to save the city over himself. He hated that he had wronged so many people, and this was his time to make it right. They would just have to pray that Doctor K could come up with another cure.

"Summer, please!" Scott screamed, knowing how little time they all had.

Summer just looked at the key one more time, and that gave her her answer.

"I'll handle Venjix and the key, you guys make sure Dillon doesn't fire that weapon." she said lowly, in an emotionless voice.

"We will." Scott said in now a soft voice. "Summer…thank you." he said, petting her shoulder. Summer couldn't even look at him, she just kept her head down and nodded slightly. And without another word, Summer ran ahead to where she needed to be to ambush Venjix.

The rangers stayed behind for a moment, thinking of the choice Summer was so brave to have made. But they knew they had a job to do.

"Summer and Corinth are counting on us, let's not disappoint them." Flynn said lowly with a sad face. He felt bad for what all of this had come to, but they knew it was inevitable. The others answered with a determined nod.

Unknowing that the Yellow Ranger was suddenly missing, Venjix continued to go on with his threats. "Look at the man you love Ranger Yellow! This is _your_ doing! You could have saved him, had you just followed simple orders! Now he will be the one to bring destruction to the city you love!" he shouted with a loud laugh that followed.

The rangers looked to the screen to see Dillon struggling towards the weapon like the puppet he had grown to become. When he approached the weapon, he wrapped his fingers tightly around the grip, placing his hand against the trigger in preparation for fire.

Suddenly, Venjix began to levitate into the air, he shot a hole into the top of the dome so he could make his escape. "Goodbye, Power Rangers! For now the world is mine!!" he laughed before he was out of the dome to safety.

Just before he was able to make his escape, he felt something stab him hard in the back. "AAAAAGGGHH!!" he screamed in aguish as he began to jar about. The rangers looked to see Summer riding her Bear Zord, right behind him.

"Not on my watch you maggot!!!" Summer screamed back at him in fury. She watched in relief as Venjix landed on the ground, having a virus of his own take over him. He squirmed back and forth on the ground groaning in agony. When Summer looked over, she saw Dillon fall to the ground. She looked at Venjix and assumed he was finished, so she pulled the key out of him and made her way over to Dillon. She pulled him aside and inserted the key into the back of his neck.

"Come on, rangers!!" She heard Scott scream, he and the others running to the weapon. They shifted the power to a lower level, and shot it at Venjix himself. The kickback threw them back a couple feet, but they were safe and sound. When they made it to their feet, they saw Venjix exploding into pieces.

"We did it." Flynn said in disbelief.

"Venjix is gone!!" Ziggy cheered, jumping into the air in euphoria.

"Did you see that--" "--kaBOOM!!!" Gem and Gemma cheered with a high-five to one another.

"It's really over!!" Scott screamed happily. "We've won!!" With that, the ranger ran and hugged one another in bliss. They congratulated one another over and over.

"Looks like Derek is okay as well." Terra smiled as she looked over to Summer and he, hugging one another happily. It had appeared that when Summer implanted the remains of the key, it cured him. He was free of the Venjix virus forever. Seeming to fit the situation, the lights all around began to flicker on all around, only adding the ranger's happiness.

Doctor K gasped when she saw the lights come back on, and immediately called the rangers. "Is that what I think it is?? Is Venjix gone?" She asked, afraid that this might be too good to be true.

"You know it, Doc!" Scott answered with a proud grin.

"But…" Doctor K began with a worrying tone of voice.

"Are you okay?" Summer asked, looking Dillon over.

Dillon nodded. "Yeah." He answered with a wider smile than Summer had ever seen. "I feel better than I have in a long time."

Summer just looked up into his eyes and found herself grabbing onto him as tight as he could. "I thought I'd never see those eyes again!" she exclaimed in joy.

Dillon just hugged her back and closed his eyes. He was freed of his curse and he had the woman he loved safe and sound right next to him. Venjix was gone, and know he could finally start the life he had always wanted. "It's good to be back." He told her softly. "I've…really missed you."

"You're telling me." Summer said with a contented sigh, nuzzling further into Dillon's chest. "It's been too long."

"It feels like a dream. Venjix can't control me anymore." He grinned as he held her.

Scott's smile soon erased from his face and he froze. "What do you mean, 'but'?" he asked.

Doctor K continued research on her computers, hoping that her findings were somehow false. "I'm still getting readings of a Venjix source. It's weak, but it's there." She said growing more nervous by the second.

Suddenly, Scott looked up to see Venjix's torso pulling himself closer to Summer and Dillon with a blaster in hand.

"I'll make you pay, Yellow Ranger…" he spoke in a raspy voice. "If I'm destroyed, I'm taking you with me!!!!" he roared, aiming the blaster at the couple.

"Summer, look out!!" Scott screamed as loud as he could to warn her.

When Dillon and Summer turned to see what the problem was, it was then they spotted Venjix. A beat later, a shot was fired. Thinking quickly, Dillon turned himself in front of her, facing her. He hugged her tight, hoping the blast had somehow missed her.

"Fire your cannon, Flynn!!" Scott screamed to the Blue Ranger, knowing his weapon was among the most powerful and could finish Venjix off.

"Gladly!" Flynn shouted, firing a large surge of energy at the Venjix remains, blasting him to bits once and for all.

"Let's make sure he's gone this time." Scott said lowly, as he and the others ran over to the heap of scrap metal.

Afraid to separate from Summer, Dillon clang to her. "Summer, are you okay?" he asked in panic.

"Yeah." Summer answered in a shaky voice. "I think it missed me."

Once the two finally pulled apart, Dillon gasped when he saw a red stain mark on Summer's abdomen. "Summer!" he exclaimed in horror, fearing he was too late to save her.

Summer looked down warily and placed her hand on the wound, she was surprised when she didn't feel any pain. "But…I didn't get hit." She said again in confusion.

Her heart stopped when she had discovered what had really happened. Much to her horror, the blood was from Dillon. When he had spun in front of her he had taken the shot in the stomach. She felt panic fill her when she saw Dillon wince and collapse.

"Dillon!!" She cried, kneeling beside him. She felt the rain hitting her shoulders as she looked down at him. It felt like someone was hitting her with rocks. "Stay with me, Dillon!" she cried out again, taking his head in her hands. "You have to stay with me!"

Once the rangers were certain that Venjix was finally gone once and for all, they looked over to the Black and Yellow Rangers. They knew what had happened and they didn't want their presence to make it worse. They just looked at one another with somber glances, and hung their heads. When Flynn saw Gemma was beginning to weep, he took her in his arms and consoled her.

"Derek?" Terra whimpered, hitting her knees. Scott knelt next to her and put his arm around her. He knew there was nothing he could say, so he did all he could. He stood beside her.

Summer looked down at Dillon who was shaky slightly and fought to get his breathing straight. He could barely look at her because that was too much a feat at the moment.

"Are-are you o-okay?" he asked her with labored breaths.

"I'm fine." Summer whimpered. "You saved my life."

Dillon took a few harsh breaths before he could speak again. "A-at least I-I did something good one la-last time." He stammered.

"Don't talk like that." Summer said softly, stroking his head gently with her hand. "You've done plenty of good things in your life. You just saved the lives of everyone, including me." She told him, looking down at his wound bleeding more. She pressed her hand hard against it to stop the bleeding, causing Dillon to scream in anguish. "I'm so sorry." She said in a whisper. "I'm calling Doctor K!" she shouted, reaching for her morpher, only to have him stop her. She looked at him in concern.

"No." He told her, breathing quicker. "It's better this way."

"Don't say that." Summer whimpered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "You're everything to me. I…need you." She told him sadly.

Rain continued to fall down hard on the two. They were drenched to the bone, but even through the rain, Dillon could see Summer's tears.

"I'm just…glad I got to see you again." He told her, placing a hand on her cheek, and he bloodstained hand on his. "I love you." He finally told her.

Summer's tears dripped onto Dillon's arm. "I've always loved you." She admitted with more tears. "Please…please don't leave me, Dillon." She pleaded to him.

Summer could see tears welling up in Dillon's eyes as well. "I'm sorry, Summer." He said weakly. Just as his words ended, his hand slid down from Summer's cheek. Summer grabbed it again, only to feel it fall back down again.

"No." she spoke softly, gently shaking his head. "No! Please come back!" she screamed in devastation. She buried her face in his chest and wept. She clung to him tight as she could. "Come back!" She cried again. When she realized it was over, she collapsed onto him. "I love you." She spoke again softly.

A moment later, his body began to fade away towards the sky in a sparkling golden light. Summer refused to let go, despite the fact he was fading. When his body was completely gone, she fell to the ground where she was holding him. She just remained there and sobbed, pounding the ground over and over. She and the rangers may have defeated Venjix, but to her, he had still won.

The next thing Summer felt was Flynn pulling her up and hugging her. Terra cried in Scott's arms as well. They had so much that they wanted to say, but couldn't find the words. There was nothing they _could _say. Dillon was dead.

The rangers then heard Doctor K's voice yelling from their morphers, they quickly pulled them out to see what was going on. "Rangers, get to the Garage and fast!" she yelled as fast as she could, and then she cut the feed. The rangers had no idea what this could possibly be about.

"Let's go, Summer." Flynn told her gently, helping her stand. With that, they all headed back to the Garage to see Doctor K.


	30. An Eagle Reborn

The rangers rushed back to the Garage as fast as they could. They couldn't imagine what Doctor K needed them for. Summer on the other hand, couldn't care less. She had just watched Dillon die before her eyes, and couldn't think of anything but hiding in her room. She didn't want to see or talk to anyone. She didn't want anyone to tell her that "It's going to be okay." Or "Time heals all." She just wanted to get away from all this. She wanted to get Dillon back, even though she had no idea if that was even possible. When the rangers emerged from their vehicles, they were met by Doctor K.

"Doctor K, what's going on!?" Scott asked her forcefully.

Doctor K sighed and looked to the side before she answered. "It's…Dillon." She answered slowly. Her words made Summer look up through her tears.

"What about him?" She asked angrily. She couldn't bear it if the doctor were to start her rants about Dillon when he had fallen taken a shot that was meant for her.

"It's nothing like that, Summer. He's here." Doctor K told her.

Summer ran over to her quickly. "What? Why? Is he okay?" She asked quickly.

"I'm not sure yet." Doctor K answered weakly.

Summer felt herself fall back into her sadness. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"When the key was implanted into Dillon's system, it started the process of him defeating the virus. But…that also means his human tendencies and organs became functional, meaning that the shot he took did a lot more harm in his humane state than it would when he was functioning on robotics." Doctor K explained.

"What are you saying then, Doc?" Flynn asked, looking at Summer, fearing she was on the verge of collapse.

"I'm saying…Dillon lost a lot of blood. I was able to stabilize him but there's no guarantee that's he's going to pull through." The doctor said, hanging her head.

"How is he now?" Summer asked.

"He's in a comatose state." Doctor K answered sadly.

Tears fell down Summer's face once more, she felt like she was going in a downward spiral. Every time it looks like she's getting back the man she loves, something is right there to take him away. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed before she spoke again.

"Can I see him?" Summer asked shakily.

"Of course. I've already put a chair in there for you." She answered, allowing Summer to pass her. Seconds later, Summer was gone.

"I'll go too." Terra jumped in, and followed her back to the infirmary.

Ziggy was the next one to walk up to Doctor K. "Let's be honest here. Do you think he's going to make it or not." He asked.

"I'd be surprised." Doctor K answered sadly. "I'd say, if he doesn't wake up in a week…it's over." She told them. She wished there was something more she could do for him, but she had already done everything possible. All they could do at the moment was make sure he was comfortable and…wait. When the rangers heard these words, they all paused for a moment in worry.

Flynn closed his eyes to try and fathom this situation, he scratched his head a few times before he asked his next question. "What I don't understand is, how did Dillon end up back _here_?" he asked in confusion.

"That's simple." Doctor K told them. "When someone that's infected with the Venjix Virus becomes weakened past a certain point, they end up back to the closest source of creation to the virus. Normally, that would be Venjix himself, but since he has been destroyed, and I had a hand in creating it, he ended up back here." She explained.

"Well, Summer and Terra are there with him—he'll be alright. I know it." Scott said with confidence.

"Actually, Ranger Red, I have something for you to see as well." Doctor K said, heading back into another section of the infirmary.

Scott looked at her in surprise. "Me?" he asked, pointing at himself.

Doctor K just nodded and Scott followed her into the back room. Once they were there, they saw a dividing curtain covering a bed. The monitors were beeping normally which told Scott that, whoever was in there, was okay. He had no idea who was behind that curtain, or what it had to do with him. He watched as Doctor K moved next to the curtain and placed her hand on it.

"I couldn't believe it when this person came back. He dropped alongside Dillon and I feared he wouldn't be able to recover. Apparently he's been through a lot. But, I know he's going to make it." Doctor K told him with a smile.

"_He_?" Scott asked in confusion. "Who is this?" he said, pointing at the bed.

Doctor K didn't speak in response, she simply pushed the curtain out of the way. Scott's widened in joy when he saw who the man in the bed was.

"Marcus?" He asked in disbelief.

"Hey, little bro." Marcus answered with a weak smile.

Scott didn't waste a second, he immediately ran over to his big brother. "Oh my God! You're alive!" he exclaimed, hugging Marcus tightly. "But…your bird went down! I saw it!" he asked, fearing this was too good to be true.

"Yeah, well…my bird _did_ go down. But, Venjix found me banged up and half dead. I would have been a goner for sure, but…he took me back to his lab and replaced my injuries with robotics. He had planned on making me into one of his workers, but I was able to escape before he implanted me with the Venjix Virus." Marcus explained.

"I can't believe this!" Scott yelled, teary eyed. "It's like a miracle!"

"I'd say it is." Marcus laughed, happy to be back with his family. Suddenly, his expression changed. "Hey." He said softly.

"Yeah?" Scott asked.

"Did that Dillon guy and Summer girl ever make it out?" he asked.

Scott looked up suddenly, thrown by his brother's words. Never before had Marcus met Dillon, seeing as how he didn't come into the picture until after Marcus was pronounced dead.

"Dillon and Summer? You mean…you know them?" Scott asked in shock.

"I met him in the Venjix Barricades. There was some girl being held captive next to me and she seemed pretty important to him. I heard Venjix talking about how he was going to use Dillon to manipulate Summer. I tried to make him come to, but it goes black after that." Marcus explained.

"Um," Scott began hesitantly, "Summer's safe and sound but…Dillon may not make it." He answered, lowering his head.

Before Marcus could say anything in response, Ziggy , Flynn, Gem and Gemma all cheerfully came into the room.

"Hey everyone! We heard the good news!" Flynn said with a happy smile.

"Well, partially because we were listening at the door—" Ziggy began when Flynn elbowed him in the side to shut him up. "Ow…" he mumbled as he rubbed his side.

"So this is the famous Marcus Truman." Flynn said, extending a hand. "I'm Flynn McAllistar, but you can just call me 'Flynn'." He introduced himself. And after everyone was greeted with one another, they finally got to catch up on things and enjoy the fact that Venjix could never manipulate them ever again.

"What a day this has been." Flynn said with a sigh, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"I'll say." Ziggy said with a yawn. "I need to take a nap. Please…call me if there's any news on Dillon." He said, his usual peppiness gone. The others didn't know if it was from his trying day or from his best friend being laid up in a coma. Either way, they thought it was best for him to rest.

"You know it." Scott answered with a nod. Then Ziggy left and headed to bed.

"Yeah, we're gonna—" "—take a rest too." Gem and Gemma told them, trailing behind Ziggy, yawning as well.

Doctor K just nodded. "Sleep is a good idea. Tomorrow we have to start putting this city back together." She reminded them. Venjix had done quite a bit of damage to Corinth and it was part of their duties as rangers to help clean it up.

"On that note, I'll go too." Flynn said, pointing at the door. "Call me if you need me." He told them before he was gone as well.

Just as he was leaving, Terra came into the room. "I just…wanted to see if everything was okay." She said with a faint knock on the door.

Scott stood as he saw her happily. "Terra!" he smiled. "This is my brother Marcus Truman." He said more calmly, pointing to his brother.

Terra walked over and shook Marcus's hand and smiled. "Good to meet you. I'm Terra." She said.

"The pleasure's all mine." Marcus answered with a smile, getting him an angry look from Scott. He loved to get under his skin from time to time.

As Terra looked at Marcus alive and well in that bed, she couldn't help buy envy Scott for having his brother back. It was painful for her to see things come to this. When she felt she couldn't take it anymore, she began to leave the room. Scott trailed behind her and stopped her as she grabbed the doorknob.

"Wait—are you okay?" He asked her in concern.

Terra just got teary eyes and looked over at Marcus all well and good, then turned back to Scott and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm so happy for you." She told him, stroking his cheek further with her thumb, then slid out of the room. Scott felt bad for her, knowing that the chances of her brother making it were slim. He just stood there blankly for a moment.

"Soooo, you two an item?" Marcus asked, trying to lighten the moment for his little brother.

His words made Scott snap out of his daze. "Uh—ahem—never mind that. Start from the beginning. What happened with you? I want to know the whole story." He answered, sitting back in the chair next to his brother.

As Marcus began to tell his tale, Scott couldn't help but be thinking of Terra, and how much he wanted what Marcus said to be true, he wanted to be with her, but more than that he wanted her brother to survive. He just hoped things took a turn for the better for her and Summer—and soon.


	31. Derek Caine

**(Summer's POV)**

I awoke to a beam of sunlight hitting my face. It was then I realized that I wasn't in my bed, I was sitting in a chair at Dillon's beside. I had been here for six days. Six days I have sat here hour after hour, just praying for some sort of reaction when I talked to him. So far I got nothing. I knew Doctor K wasn't going to keep him like this forever, I had no idea when she would come through t door and say those awful two words, "I'm sorry."

I haven't really slept much over the past week, I couldn't find a good moment to. Tenaya has been here off and on, but now she was sleeping. Every time she comes to visit him she acts strange. I can't help but get the feeling that she and the others know something that I don't. But I can't think about that right now, Dillon is my priority.

I found myself just staring at his face for hours on end, looking for any signs of life, just listening to the heart monitors beep rhythmically over and over. I thought about the fact that it should be me in that bed right now. Venjix wanted to destroy _me_, not him. The thought crossed my mind that, if I had waited just a little longer to use the key to cure Dillon, he wouldn't be in this condition. It hurt when Doctor K told me that his now being human is why he's so affected by this.

I stood from my small wooden chair and looked down at him. I brought the covers back and saw a large cut of gauze over his side where he had been hit. I knew what I was about to do was a bad idea, but I had to know the extent of his injury. I lifted the gauze, and saw a deep wound where the blast had hit him. I threw a hand over my mouth to muffle my stunned expression, and then immediately placed it back. I looked at Dillon's face with tears in my eyes and stroked his cheek softly.

"I'm so sorry." I told him in almost a whisper.

The next sound I heard was the door opening behind me. There I saw Flynn holding a small white paper back and a bottle of water.

"Thought you could use some food." he told me as he walked into the room.

I sat back in my chair and looked back to Dillon. "I'm not hungry." I told him in a dismissive manner.

"Summer, you haven't eaten in days. All you do is sit in that chair. If Dillon _does _get better, it won't help him if you're sick." he told me, handing me the bag.

I mustered a small smile as I took the bag and bottle from him. "Thanks." I answered weakly. I don't remember the last time I had actually eaten anything. I was more hungry than I thought. I opened the bag to find a sandwich from my favorite shop in the bag.

I could feel Flynn staring at me as I devoured it. "Any change?" he asked me.

I just shook my head and swallowed the food in my mouth. "No." I replied. "He's the same."

Flynn placed a hand on my shoulder and began to pet me gently. "Maybe after you eat you should rest in your bed. I'll call you if he wakes up." he told me.

"Just a little longer." I told him. "I'm not ready to leave yet."

He just nodded and slid back in his chair. "Do you want to talk?" he asked.

"About what?" I asked him strangely, I didn't really feel like shooting the breeze at a time like this.

"Anything." He told me. "We can talk about the weather, the friends…anything. You can tell me how the two of you met."

I just raised a brow at him. "You were there." I told him.

"I know, I know, but that was a year ago. I don't have a very good memory. So, go ahead and tell me the story." he said. He looked like he genuinely wanted to hear the story, although I really didn't know why.

As I thought and searched for the words to begin, I couldn't help but remember that day perfectly. A smile hit my face as I thought about how we were even dodging danger from the beginning. We had been through more than I'd realized.

"Well," I began, "you, Scott and I were fighting off one of Venjix's latest creeps and, we were planning on taking him down, no sweat. You and Scott both were blocked and I had a clear shot, as I went to take it, little did I know that they were planning on ambushing me. Dillon was with Ziggy and crashed into the laser the Grinders were planning on destroying me with and…saved my life." I said, looking over at Dillon with a smile, stroking his arm. "Then, he was arrested by Truman before I could thank him."

"What about after that?" Flynn asked, seeming to be drawn in by my story.

"I went to the prison to see him." I answered.

_(Flashback)_

"I walked into that cell and right then--I was hooked."

"_Alone at last." Dillon said as he watched me sit down. I just smiled at him, knowing he had something else to say. "Can I be…honest with you?" he asked._

"_Give it a shot." I snapped back at him._

"_Yellow is __definitely__ not your color." he said in a smart-alecky tone. I just leaned back in my chair with a scoff. He had such an attitude that I didn't expect from someone who had just saved me._

"Right from the get go he was different from the others. He tried to get under my skin_,_ but I wasn't going to let him off that easily."

"_Can I ask __you__ a question?" I asked him right back, leaning forward._

"_Go for it." he said with a sigh._

"_Do you have to have to work really hard at the brooding, bad-boy thing? Like, seriously do you get up in the morning and practice in front of the mirror?" I asked in snide. I could tell that he appreciated the fact that I wasn't one to take insults, which made us both smile. After we were done with our banter, I decided to introduce myself. "I'm Summer." I said, flicking the hair from my eyes._

"_Dillon." he said simply, rolling his eyes in protest. "You can call me Dillon." he said again. Then we smiled at one another for a moment._

_(End Flashback)_

"I could right then that we could understand one another. And soon that 'brooding bad-boy' turned into someone I fell in love with." I admitted, lowering my head. It feels like it was only yesterday that I had met him in that cell. Seeing him laid up like this was killing me.

I looked over to see Flynn smiling, you would have thought he was listening to the greatest love story ever told. "Anything else?" he asked me, clearly wanting me to continue.

"When I visited him at the prison…" I began.

_(Flashback)_

"_No," I told him, shaking my head, taking a seat next to him. "You didn't. He could still be out there somewhere." I patted his shoulder to try to make him feel at ease. That little boy that had taken such good care of him was okay, he had to be. _

_He nodded slightly at me. "I'd like to think so." Then he looked to me with kind eyes. "Thanks, Summer." he told me gently._

"_For what?" I shrugged._

_He looked at me for a split second before he answered. "Listening." he said softly. _

"He had really opened up to me that day. He told me about his past, and why he had chosen the name he had. He was so concerned that that little boy Dillon was hurt somewhere and that it was all his fault. I tried over and over to convince him otherwise. That's when something happened with my morpher…"

_Suddenly, faint music came though my morpher. I was mortified when I couldn't silence it, or at least muffle it a little. I had a feeling who it was doing something like this. Scott. He fought Doctor K so hard, trying to get me a visit with Dillon, that I guess he wanted to make it as memorable as he could._

_I fondled with the device for a while longer, trying to get it to shut up. I looked at Dillon nervously. "I, I don't--" I stammered, as I banged on it. _

_Suddenly, I looked up to see Dillon extending a hand to me, with a soft smile on his face. "Dance with me." he said softly._

_I looked at his hand for a moment, and then to him and smiled. "Oh…okay." I said, taking his hand. We just swayed back and forth for a while holding one another close. I could feel him stroking my hair gently as we dance. When I looked in his eyes, I saw him coming closer. _

_(End Flashback)_

"And, just as we were about to kiss one another," I began, looking at Dillon once more, "I was called away."

"You two have been through a lot." Flynn said softly, reflecting on all I had said.

"Yeah…I just hope this isn't the end." I said sadly.

And just as the words had left my mouth, I saw Dillon's head move slightly to the left. In a flash, I ran over to him.

"Dillon?" I asked, pushing his hair from his eyes.

Flynn stood up quickly. "I'll go find Doctor K." he said firmly, rushing out of the room

"Can you hear me?" I asked him in a soft voice. I felt joy fill me when I saw his eyes flicker open, he squinted to get focused. "Are you okay, Dillon?" I asked him again.

He looked at me in confusion for a moment before he answered. "Who?" he asked me. My initial thought was that he was still exhausted. He had been in a coma for six days without functioning in any way. Maybe dancing with death had taken more of a toll on him than I had realized.

"Dillon." I reminded him. "You're name is Dillon." I said, gently petting his head once again. I was relived to see more color seeping into his face. I knew right then that he was going to be okay.

But something was wrong, he wasn't looking at me like he used to, it was like something was missing. I felt fear enter me when I heard what he said next.

"No, my name isn't Dillon. It's…Derek. Derek Caine." he spoke in a tired voice. Once his eyes were opened all the way, he looked at me like I was a stranger. "Who are you?" he asked me.

I froze when I heard him ask me this question. Did he have amnesia again? He had it when we met, but it was nothing like this. "I--I'm Summer." I said nervously, I had hoped that when he heard my name it would jog something. It didn't.

"I'm sorry." He told me, still looking at me blankly. "I don't know you."

I was completely thrown. What bothered me the most was the way he looked at me. He looked at me like we had just walked by one another on the street. It was as if nothing between us had ever happened. He didn't seem to know me at all. All I wanted next was for Doctor K to get here. Luckily, Flynn brought her into the room a moment later.

"What's the problem, Summer?" She asked me.

I didn't speak an answer, I just looked from her to the door, telling her I wanted to talk to her in the hall. I didn't want Dillon, or "Derek" to hear my conversation with her. She followed me into the hall.

"I think there's something wrong with him, Doctor K. He keeps calling himself Derek Caine. Is there anything that says the virus could cause amnesia?" I asked her, nervously folding my arms.

She sighed and shifted her gaze. Now I knew that whatever she wanted to tell me, it wasn't good. "Ranger Yellow, there's been something I've been wanting to tell you about the Venjix Virus cure." she began.

"What?" I asked, "That it causes amnesia?"

Doctor K shook her head in response. "What Ranger Black has isn't a textbook case of amnesia. What happens is…when a hybrid is cured of the Venjix Virus, their memory reverts back to the moment right _before_ they were inflicted with the virus. He keeps calling himself Derek Caine because that's who he is. 'Dillon' was just a name his amnesiac state chose." She explained. I could see the remorse in her face.

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Just as my world was beginning to build back up, it crumbled right back down. What she had told me was, the man that I had fallen in love with never really existed. He was just a shell of Derek Caine.

I swallowed hard and fought back tears before I was able to speak again. "Does he…remember being a ranger?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't able to look at Doctor K, I just burned a hole in the wall next to me.

"No." She answered softly in regret. "He doesn't remember being a ranger, the Venjix Virus, Corinth, or--"

"Me." I cut her off.

She just nodded in response, ashamed that he cure had such an awful flaw.

Suddenly, everything began to fall together. I walked around back and forth with dripping eyes. "_That's _why everyone was going around calling Tenaya, Terra. It wasn't an accident--her real name is Terra Caine." I said with a disbelieving laugh. But there was nothing funny about it.

"I'm so sorry, Ranger Yellow." Doctor K said, coming closer to me. "I wish there were some way I could fix this." when she placed her hand consolingly on my shoulder, I jerked away.

"I, uh--I gotta go." I choked out, turning and running down the hall. I had managed to hide my tears long enough to walk away. Once my back was to her, they streamed down my face.

I knew it was rude to leave in such a rush, but I couldn't look at Derek's face. It only reminded me of what I had lost. It was like the man I loved was dead, but I still had to look him in the face. I felt as if I was falling and was never going to stop. I bolted to my bike in the garage and mounted it, pulling away--anywhere but here.

I rode until I was on a high hill that looked over Corinth. It was the only place I could really be alone. I looked over the city and tried to figure things out. Visions of him just ran through my head over and over.

"_Dance with me."_

"_What?"_

"_Dance with me."_

"_Dillon. You can call me, Dillon."_

"_Why are you always trying to save me!?"_

"_Because you're worth saving!!"_

"_I'm sorry, Summer…"_

I shook the images from my head and buried my head in my hands. Tears fell down my face. The Dillon I knew and loved was gone.


	32. A New Burden to Bare

Later that day in Corinth, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. For once, the sun wasn't artificial or programmed. Now that Venjix was gone, the shields could be open indefinitely allowing pure breeze and sunlight to reach those of the city. But the city was still in dire need of repair. The damage Venjix had caused over the past couple of days would take a month or two to fix. That's were the rangers came in. Even thought their job of protecting the city was now over, it was still up to them to bring Corinth back to it's original glory. Everyone in the city wanted to help the rangers, given all they had done for them over the past year. They re-planted trees, and reconstructed buildings, it was no small task, but working together it was possible.

After a few hours of working, it was finally time for lunch. Whereas everyone was taking a break to eat, Summer was still missing in action. The others decided not to bother her, they figured, losing the one you loved more than anything was a hard enough job for her. If time was what she needed to recover, they were going to make sure they gave it to her. There was nothing they could say or do to make her feel better, what she needed was to see Dillon again.

As for the rest of the team, they wanted to take their break. Scott, Terra, Marcus and Colonel Truman all sat together as one little family, Ziggy and Doctor K sat by one another, blushing with each look the other gave to them, still to shy to admit their feelings, Flynn sat with Gem and Gemma and laughed happily.

As for Derek, he sat awkwardly next to his sister. He felt like a stranger amongst everyone. He knew that he knew them on some level, but he had no idea what. The only one he felt comfortable with was Terra, since she was the only one he remembered. He found himself thinking about Summer a lot and the look on her face when he told her that he wasn't really this "Dillon" person. He couldn't fathom that he had such a deep relationship at one time, and now he couldn't remember one thing about her. So he just sat there silently, moving the chips around his plate deep in thought.

When Terra caught glimpse of his silence, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter, Derek?" she asked. She couldn't have been happier to have her brother back, not to mention that he remembered her, but she couldn't stand him being so silent and stand-offish. It wasn't like him at all.

"I'm just…worried about that Summer girl." he told her, just staring at the table blankly. "She seemed so upset when I told her I didn't know who she was."

Scott looked over at him. "She just needs time to accept things. Summer's tough--she'll be okay." he said, taking a long swig of his lemonade. He had no idea if Summer would recover from this, but all they had to go on was hope.

Derek nodded slightly. "Right." he answered softly. He didn't want to think about this anymore, so he decided to change the subject. "I still can't believe I was a Power Ranger." he went on.

"And a great one at that!" Ziggy chimed in cheerfully. Unlike Summer, he didn't care if his best friend called himself Derek, Daniel or David, he was just happy he was okay, even if he didn't remember him. "You just had some…hardships." he continued.

Derek looked from the table when he heard this. "Hardships?" he asked.

Ziggy regretted brining things up like this all of a sudden, he didn't know if he wanted to deal with this right now, but he'd have to. "Well, when you were…"Dillon" you spent all your time looking for your family--especially Terra. You chased after your past, to discover anything you could about "Derek"." he explained as clearly as he could. "Then Doctor K told you that you were sick."

"Sick? I was sick?" Derek asked in confusion, looking to Terra for confirmation.

Terra nodded at him. "Yeah. Like me, you were diagnosed with having something called the Venjix Virus--a sickness that turns humans into robotic hybrids to do Venjix's bidding." she told him.

"Yeah." Ziggy agreed. "You were so discouraged. Afraid that you were going to hurt the ones you cared about. You wanted to leave to keep the others safe but…Summer wouldn't let you. She fought so hard to get you to stay with us. She helped you through so much with the virus, she was the only one you could really confide in. I guess you could say she…brought you back to life." he told him.

Derek nodded and brought his gaze back to the table, afraid to ask the next question that lingered in his mind. "Did she…love Dillon." he asked, closing his eyes, as if bracing himself for the answer.

Ziggy nodded a few times before he answered. "Yeah." he told him lowly, now staring at the table as well.

"Did he love her?" Derek asked next.

"Yes." Scott interjected. The others turned to him in confusion. They had no idea why Scott would know something like this. He and Dillon never really were the best of friends, they couldn't believe he would tell him something so personal.

"Really? How do you know?" Terra asked him next.

"He told me." Scott answered softly.

A moment of silence came over the table. It was a somber silence, almost like they were mourning someone that was sitting right next to them. Though he was there in appearance, the real Dillon was gone.

"Um…good news!" Colonel Truman said clearing his throat, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "Next month, the city is having a ceremony to award the rangers for their valor and bravery. It's a black tie affair so make sure to wear your best." he explained to them, hoping he had turned the conversation in a positive direction.

Flynn just smiled at the colonel. He respected what he was doing for everyone. "You don't have to tell me twice to go to a party!" he said somewhat cheerfully. "Gemma, would you like to be my--ahem--date?" he asked nervously.

Gemma paused suddenly in pure shock. "A date?" she asked with a wide and shy smile. "Wow…of course!" she answered sweetly. This made Flynn's smile get even wider.

The Blue Ranger's act of bravery gave Ziggy the courage he needed to ask the lady _he_ admired the same question. "Doctor K…would you like me to escort you to this…soiree?" he asked with a gulp.

Doctor K was in mid-gulp of her lemonade when he asked her, causing her to choke on it a little. "Me? You want to take _me_?" she asked, her cheeks turning red as a rose. "I-I don't see why not." she smiled at him. "But please, call me Rose Mary." she said, causing the others to pause in awe.

"Rose Mary?" Scott asked with a grin. "You're finally telling us you're real name?"

Rose just nodded and smiled. "Hey, with all that has happened lately, it's shown me life is too short to shut people out." she explained. Then she turned to the Green Ranger happily. "I'm looking forward to being your date…Ziggy." she told him.

"Me too." He answered with glee. "Thanks, Rose." She just nodded and smiled at him once more.

Scott knew he was next to ask the one he cared about to go with him, and he wasn't going to miss his chance. "Would you mind going with _me_, Terra?" he asked her, seeing cool on the outside, but really a nervous wreck in the inside.

Terra smile happily and hugged Scott. "I couldn't imagine anyone else I'd rather go with." she told him.

"Great!" Scott grinned with a sigh of relief.

Colonel Truman just chuckled and took a bite of his large sandwich. He was relieved that he was able to steer the conversation in a happy direction. "Looks like you and I are going solo son." he said to Marcus.

"Nope." Marcus corrected him, shaking his head. "I already have a date. I heard you setting up this whole affair and already asked a lovely lady." he said.

Scott's eyes widened as he turned to his sly brother. "Really?" he smirked. "And who is this 'lovely lady'?" he asked mischievously.

"You'll see in a month." Marcus answered with a wink.

"Guess that leaves me to ask Summer." Derek chimed in a bit glumly. "Hopefully it won't be too hard on her. I owe her, especially if she helped me as much as you guys said." he said. Deep down, he had hoped that going to a romantic event with her would somehow spark his feelings for her.

XXX

Midnight that night, Summer couldn't sleep. She just lay in her bed with her face buried in her pillow and cried. These past few days had not been kind to her and it was finally taking it's toll. She couldn't help but think of all she had lost in Dillon, and how much it hurt her when he looked at her like she was a stranger. It was a pain she couldn't describe.

A little while later, she slid out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face. She was shocked when she looked in the mirror. She barely recognized herself--her eyes were red and puffy and her face was flushed. As bad as she looked on the outside, she felt worse on the inside. She shut off the light next to her so she couldn't see herself and continued to splash the cool water on her hot flesh.

When she was finished, she headed down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She hoped everyone was asleep so she didn't have to face them. As much as she wanted to stay in her room, she thought she was getting dehydrated from all her crying and needed to drink something. When she got there, she saw someone was waiting for her.

"Hey, Summer." Derek said. The way he said her name was just like Dillon, and it felt like she had just been shot.

"Hey…" She started to say his name, but couldn't bring herself too, so she just passed him and went to the fridge, pulling out a water bottle.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, trying to get her to talk to him, about anything.

"No." she answered, closing the fridge. "I have a lot on my mind." she told him. As she went to head back upstairs, she heard Derek call out to stop her.

"Don't you think we should talk?" he asked, stopping her in her tracks.

She didn't turn to him, she just stood there frozen. "It's just not easy." she said, choking back tears, balling her hands into fists.

"I'm sorry for all you've been through. The others told me things have been really difficult for you." he told her, walking slowly closer to her.

"Just doing my job." she answered softly. She tried not to focus on the sound of his voice, but the more she tried to ignore it, the more she heard it.

"Summer…" Derek began, "I know this hasn't been easy, and I'm sorry. If I could bring back my--Dillon's feeling for you…I would." he told her, hoping this would help her in some way.

Summer turned slowly to face him. "Do you remember anything about us?" she asked. "Do you remember where we met, that day in the prison cells, anything?" she asked him sadly. When she saw he didn't have an answer she asked the most painful question weighing on her. "Do you remember…" she began with glassy eyes, "loving me?"

"I wish I could, Summer, I really do." he assured her, walking up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder only to have her pull away.

"Yeah…" Summer answered with a whimper. "I didn't think so." she said, turning to leave once more.

"He loved you too, Summer!" Derek called out to her, stopping her from leaving once again. "It's not because of what Scott told me. I feel it…somewhere inside myself. He…loved you." he admitted to her. This had been the first time he told anyone the feelings he'd been having. He only asked Scott to confirm it.

"I loved him too." Summer answered weakly, "I only wish I'd gotten to tell him that." Derek just looked at her sadly, he didn't have anything he could say. He felt helpless. In trying to help her, he had only made it worse. "Goodnight…Derek." she told him with hesitation at his name, and headed back upstairs to her room.

Derek never remembered feeling like more of a jerk. Here was a girl that was madly in love with him that he used to love once himself. He didn't know what to do. He made have been freed of the Venjix Virus, but Venjix had still won. He took Dillon and Summer's love away.


	33. The Ultimatum

A month had passed since Venjix fell. The city was thriving as it once did and happiness was back in the air. It was the day before the awards ceremony that Colonel Truman had planned for the rangers, and they were feeling both nervous and excited. Everyone felt back to normal, like their lives were complete--except Summer. Though it had been some time since the Dillon she knew and loved was taken from her, the hole in her heart stung as if it had happened yesterday. However, when she as around the others, she had learned to appear a little more cheerful, while inside she was empty.

The rangers and Terra all continued to do their work and repairs from the Garage, but at the moment they had a rest period. They played pool, swapped stories and just celebrated being alive in a Venjix free world.

Summer sat alone at a table, just listening to the laughter of the others, trying to find a way to get like that herself. She held a book in her hands to hide what she was really feeling. She had no idea what the page in front of her said.

Derek played a round of pool with Scott and his brother. He fired a ball into the corner pocket and exclaimed happily.

"Oh yeah, that's seven to nothing." He laughed, grabbing the blue cue chalk from the table. His expression changed when he glanced over at Summer and saw how sad she looked. He thought she was getting better, but right now she couldn't have looked worse. She looked glassy eyed at the book she wasn't reading. Thinking it was the book making her sad, he glanced at the cover. But when he saw that it was "Proper Vehicle Maintenance," it told him otherwise. He knew it she was still reeling from his transferring back to Derek and leaving Dillon behind. He longed to give her back what she had lost, but the feelings Dillon had for her, didn't come through him.

At night, he would have visions of Dillon's past, but that's all it was. It was if Dillon was lost somewhere inside of him and he had no clue how to bring him back. Causing Summer all of this pain just by looking at her, was getting too hard for him to bare. All of a sudden, he noticed her toss the book aside and rise from the table.

"Hey, Derek, you're up, man." Marcus reminded him, bringing him back to the game. Scott and Marcus were waiting for him to take his next shot.

"Where is she going?" Derek asked, still looking in Summer's direction.

"Where she goes everyday--for a ride. I think it helps her cope with things. It's been a month today that Dillon went away." Scott told him, taking his shot for him.

Derek didn't care, he just placed his cue on the table and followed her. "I'm going to follow her--make sure she's alright." he said, leaving the two eagles behind.

"Okay, but be careful!" Scott called after him. Then he circled around the table and tossed the chalk to Marcus. "You're up bro!" he said cheerfully. Deep down, he worried for Summer, but he had been in her situation before--losing someone he loved, but he knew that if anyone could help her, it would be Derek.

XXX

Derek followed Summer to the Corinth Baseball Field, he hadn't know why she had chosen here, but he was determined to find out. The place was still in shambles from when the rangers had fought Venjix. Caution tape was wrapped everywhere, but he just watched as she climbed around it. She went right to the pitcher's mound and sat right on the white mark, running the sand through her fingers beside her. Derek was too far away from her to hear if she was saying anything, so he tapped into his morpher, enabling him to hear.

"Hey, Dillon." She said softly. "I've been wanting to come out here for a while, but I just couldn't bring myself too. I don't know what I expected to find here--whether it was a phantom of you, or just a feeling, but I thought it would at least be something." she went on. Derek watched her wipe a tear from her cheek. "I miss you…Dillon. And this past month without you has been agonizing. I wake up every morning expecting to see you, only to be reminded again that you're gone."

Derek continued to listen, feeling the pain through her words.

"I keep trying to move on, trying to go one day without thinking about you…but I can't. Derek looks like you, sounds like you, even walks like you. But he isn't _you_ Dillon." she wept. "I've spent the past year falling for you and I didn't even tell you goodbye." she said, bringing her knees to her chest. "It's because my heart won't let me. I can't tell you 'goodbye', Dillon. I can't let you go."

Derek sighed as he listened and turned to watch Summer lay on her back, just staring at the sky.

"I still remember when I thought I was going to have to marry Chaz. Looking at him on that altar…all I saw was you. You, up there reciting your vows to me, and mine to you. It was like a dream…but now that dream is gone." She cried, brining her hands to her face. "I just feel so lost. I can't stop thinking about that day I visited you at the prison--how close we came to saying everything we felt. I wish I had when I had the chance. Maybe I wouldn't feel so empty now." she continued, crying softly, her hands now soaked with tears. "But…I came here to ask you a favor." she said, chuckling softly, "I can't believe I am, but I have to. I know this sounds like a lot, especially since you gave your life for mine but…please, please help me move on. Please let this pain go away. Please help me find a way to go on without you." she sobbed, pulling her knees to her chest once more.

Derek just stood there stunned for a moment. "Damn!" he cursed, slamming the back of his head on the wall behind him, sliding down it. He suddenly felt a small part, deep inside of him feel the same way for Summer. And overwhelming need to protect her. As she was recalling everything, he couldn't help but see it much clearer than he had in his dreams night after night. The same pain for her that she was feeling for him--an aching feeling. Like Summer, he had never felt more lost.

XXX

**(Derek's POV)**

It was midnight once again, and once again I lay here awake, just staring through the darkness at the ceiling. Thoughts I couldn't control raced over and over again through my head. Ever since I head Summer at the field today, reminiscing about the times she and Dillon had shared, I've been seeing them a hell of a lot more clearly. And the more clear the memories are, the more I feel them. Tonight I had one I never had before--it took place right where Summer sat on the field today.

_(Flashback)_

_Dillon lay there on the ground, bleeding from his abdomen, with Summer knelt by his side. He had been shot by Venjix taking the hit for Summer. She saw him shaking slightly and he fought to look at her, although that seemed to be a hard feat for him at the time._

"_Are-are you o-okay?" he asked her with labored breaths._

"_I'm fine." She whimpered. "You saved my life."_

_Dillon took a few harsh breaths before he was able to speak again. "A-at least I-I did something good one la-last time." he stammered._

"_Don't talk like that." she told him, gently stroking his head. "You've done plenty of good things in your life. You just saved the lives of everyone, including me." she told him, looking down to see his wound bleeding more. She took her hand and pressed it against the wound to stop it, only to hear him scream in anguish. "I'm so sorry." she said in a whisper. "I'm calling Doctor K!" she said in panic, reaching for her morpher, only to have him grab her arm to stop her. She looked at him in concern._

"_No." he told her, breathing quicker. "It's better this way."_

"_Don't say that." She begged, a tear running down her cheek. "You're everything to me…I need you." she told him sadly. The rain continued to fall on the two. They were soaked to the bone, but even through the rain, Dillon could see Summer's tears. _

"_I'm just glad I got to see you again." he told her, placing his hand on her cheek, and her bloodstained hand on his. "I love you." he finally told her._

_Summer's tears dripped onto Dillon's arm. "I've always loved you." she admitted with more tears. "Please…please, don't leave me, Dillon." she pleaded._

_Summer could begin to see tears forming in Dillon's eyes as well. "I'm sorry, Summer." he told her weakly. Just as his words ended, his hand fell lifelessly from Summer's cheek. She quickly grabbed it, only to have it fall again. _

"_No." She spoke softly, shaking her head. "No! Please come back!" she pleaded again in devastation. When she didn't get a response, she just buried her head in his chest and wept. She clung to him as tightly as she could. "Come back!!" she cried again. When she realized it was over, she collapsed herself onto him. "I love you." she cried one last time._

_(End Flashback)_

It was then it hit me--why Summer wanted to be at the field. That's where Dillon had died. I shook the thoughts from my head and decided to go downstairs. On my way, I passed Summer's door. I pressed my ear against it and heard her sobbing softly into her pillow. She was still reeling from this and couldn't stand it.

I couldn't take this anymore. I had to do something.

I knew that Doctor K was still awake, so I ran as fast as I could to her lab. When I got there, I knocked loudly on her door. "Rose! I need your help!" I yelled as I pounded.

She opened the door and slipped a robe on. Despite my urgent knocking, she still seemed calm. "What can I do for you, Derek?" she asked me.

I thought for a moment for the right words. "I…have a question." I finally spit out. She nodded her head for me to proceed. I cleared my throat, "Is there any way for…me to get my memories of Dillon back?" I asked her.

Rose sighed and shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not. One being can only have one set of memories at a time." she said.

"I was afraid of that." I said, closing my eyes and slinking down into a chair, burying my hands in my face.

Rose sat in the chair next to me. "What's the matter?" She asked me in a caring manner.

I sat up and sighed. "The matter is, I keep having flashes of this 'Dillon' and Summer together. Thing is, I don't remember them. It's like I'm seeing someone else's life." I explained.

"That's because you are. Yours and Dillon's memories are two separate things. You're two different people." She told me.

I leaned forward, hoping she would help me. "This is killing Summer--seeing Dillon's face everyday. She can't move on when she sees the man she loves around all the time. She doesn't deserve this." I said, sliding back. Little did Rose know that this only wasn't hurting Summer, it was haunting me as well.

Rose sighed and stood, making her way over to her desk. "I didn't want to say this because I didn't want to complicate things. But…I _do _know a way to get Dillon's memories back in you." she told me hesitantly.

I stood happily and walked over to her. "This is great! But…I thought you said it couldn't be done?" I asked in confusion.

Rose shook her head and continued to pace. "No, I said one being couldn't have two sets of memories at once. If I were to fill your head back with Dillon's memories then…" she trailed off.

"I'd lose mine." I finished for her, nodding slightly.

"Affirmative." she told me. I could tell in her face that she knew what I was feeling. "I know it's an impossible choice." she told me sympathetically.

I placed my hands on the back of my head and started to pace myself. "I just hate not knowing what my life has been like this past year!" I shouted "People keep telling me what a great hero I am, and I don't even remember it!" After I realized I was yelling, I slinked back into my chair. "Worst part of it is, I don't remember loving Summer. I mean, my head doesn't know her, but my heart wants to be with her." I finally admitted.

Rose Mary walked over to me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "It's your call. I know this won't be easy--not by a long shot. But I guess what it comes down to is you asking yourself, who's life do you want more? Derek's--or Dillon's?" She told me, giving me the biggest ultimatum I'd ever faced in either of my lives. I just sighed and leaned back, looking back to the ceiling. I had one hell of a decision to make.


	34. End of the Road

**(Summer's POV)**

It was morning yet again. I could see the sun peaking through my window through my yellow blinds. I had been awake for the past couple hours, just waiting for the sun to rise before I made my way downstairs to join the others. I could hear them from my room laughing as they ate their breakfast. The smell of Ziggy's famous blueberry pancakes was calling to me. I hadn't eaten much yesterday—being one month from the day Dillon had died, I didn't have much of an appetite. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone was sent up here to check on me, so I slid on a yellow and white striped shirt and light blue jeans, and made my way down to join them.

I was greeted with a few sympathetic 'good mornings' as I walked into the room. I just answered them with a nod and a forced smile. I headed to the fridge to get a bottle of apple juice, as I did I heard the others talking about the awards ceremony. It had completely slipped my mind that it was today. I closed my eyes and sighed, slowly closing the refrigerator door and just stood there. This was something I had been dreading. The others were aware that I knew that they had all paired off with one another, leaving an opening for Derek to ask me. Truth be told, I would rather just go back to my bed and sleep this day away—I had nothing to celebrate.

Before I knew it my juice was nearly gone, and I heard Scott calling out to me. "Summer…you okay?" he asked. I really didn't want to turn around and see him and his perfect family and the person he loved all happily sitting together. Happy as I was for them, it only made me ache that much more.

But I ignored my feelings and turned around. "Yeah. I'm fine." I said while feigning a smile.

"No you're not." He told me, standing and coming my way. "You can talk about what's bothering you. Maybe we can help." He said.

Next thing I knew, tears were filling in my eyes. "I just don't get it." I told him sadly.

He looked at me sympathetically and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Get what?" he asked.

"Why. Why did Dillon take that shot for me? Why did he give his life for mine. Why—" I began, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "Why did he chose to save me?" I asked sadly.

"Because you're worth saving." I heard a voice say. When I heard this I froze. A familiar voice that made my heart skip. And when I turned around, I saw him. Dillon--decked out in his black jeans, dark grey shirt, and his tattered black leather jacket. His hair fell it the same way it used to, and in his eyes I could see feelings for me. I didn't know if it was my mind playing tricks on me, or if it was Derek trying to make me feel better.

"What?" I asked, looking at this man hesitantly.

I watched as he inched his way closer to me. "You know," he began, "I was wrong that day in the prison. Yellow definitely _is_ your color." He said with a smile, wiping the tears from my face.

I looked at him in awe before I finally found the words to speak. "D-Dillon?" I stammered.

He nodded and smiled at me once more. "I back, gorgeous." He told me simply.

That was all the convincing I needed. Before I knew it I was clinging to him so tight I almost went through him. He even felt the same as he used to, that same warm embraced that I had longed for this past month. He even stroked the back of my head as he did when the two of us were in Venjix's lair. I couldn't believe it—I was holding Dillon in my arms again.

"You're back!" I spoke in such excitement I was breathless. "I can't believe it!" I clung to him even tighter, fearing that if I were to let go for an instant, he would be gone again.

"Back in black." He answered with a soft chuckle.

Still hugging him, I looked in his eyes, now tears of joy filling mine. "But…how?" I asked him, smiling.

"I owe all of that to Rose Mary." He said, looking over to the doctor, still draped in her white lab coat. When we looked at her, she nodded with a smile.

"I don't understand." I said, smiling bigger than I ever remembered.

"Since the day Dillon woke up completely drained of his memories of himself, I began work in my lab seeing if there were some way to get his memories back. Then it dawned on me that all of Venjix's hybrids had a hard copy of their data in a chip form in the back of their necks. When Dillon was transported back here, before I called you guys, I removed it and decided to study it. So I thought I would try to combine Dillon's memories with Derek's by leaving the "hard drive" in the back of his neck put, but sadly…it couldn't be done. I then discovered that I could override Derek's memories completely with Dillon's. But it would have to be his choice of which being he would rather be—Dillon or Derek." She said.

I stood there for a moment, trying to process everything. Then I turned to Dillon. "So, you chose the life as Dillon instead of Derek?" I asked.

"It hit me that my life meant more to everyone as Dillon than Derek. I wanted to remember being a ranger, Corinth, the Garage, and most of all…" he said, pushing my hair from my ace, "…you." He finally said.

I smiled at his touch, but as I did a thought hit me. "But…what about…" I began, looking Terra's way. I hadn't thought that in all of this, she would be losing the only brother she really knew.

"We had a long talk about it." Dillon told me. "We decided we both wanted to start a clean slate with one another—one _without_ Venjix." He assured me. "So don't worry." He said.

I found myself hugging him with all my might once again. "You have no idea how much I've missed you." I said, falling into him.

He rested his head on top of mine, kissing my hair softly. "I can relate." He answered softly. "I love you Summer. I felt it even when I was gone." He said.

I pulled back and looked in his eyes. "I love you too—more than you know." I told him. And our lips grew closer once more, I await for some sort of interruption—but it never came. We finally fell into our kiss. And it was better than I ever could have imagined—soft, warm, light, in a word—perfect.

XXX

Later that day was the time of the awards ceremony. All of the rangers were dressed to their best, ready to be rewarded for all they have done for the city. The ceremony took place in the Corinth City Park that was decorated in a sea of flowers. Flowers of red, blue, yellow, green, black, gold and silver—one for each color ranger. To each of their attires, a flower of their color was pinned. The park was full of people wanting to thank the rangers for all they had done for them. The rangers all stood at attention to Colonel Truman and Doctor K, awaiting their awards. The Colonel stood at a podium, prepared to make a small speech to open this event.

"Welcome, Corinth citizens. I want to take the time to thank you all for coming here today to honor the heroes that have kept this city safe. Every day they put their lives on the line for each and every one of us, so we could have to happy future we have today. Without their courage, there's no telling what kind of future we could have had. I present to you, the Power Rangers!" he announced, presenting an arm to the seven rangers. A roar of applause sounded throughout the park for the rangers. Smiles came across each of the heroes faces.

The Colonel left his podium, turning to Doctor K who held a small briefcase containing a medal for each ranger. First up was his son, Scott Truman. He walked up to him, wrapping the medal proudly around his neck.

"Son, I'm proud this day has come. Your leadership skills lead this city to safety. You've truly earned this medal and the title of Ranger Red. Thank you for all you've done for us." He said to his son with a proud smile that took over his face.

Scott shook his father's hand and returned the smile. "Thanks, dad. It was my pleasure." He answered. He looked over his father's shoulder to see Marcus applauding for him. This was his moment, and he would never again be pushed to the back burner over his brother.

Next, Truman turned back to Doctor K pulling out another medal, then turning to the Blue Ranger. "Flynn McAllistar, you're mechanical skills and intelligence helped this city in more ways than you'll ever know. I, and the entire city thank you for all you've done." He thanked him, placing the medal around Flynn's neck.

Flynn shook Truman's hand back and smiled proudly. "It was an honor to serve the city, sir." He answered. This was a happy day for him, and when he looked into the audience, he saw his father clapping proudly for his son. He had gotten something he never imagined out of this experience—his father being proud of him.

Summer was the next one to feel a medal around her neck. Truman placed his hands on her shoulders and sighed proudly. "Summer Landsdown," he began smiling at her, "the road ahead of you was a hard paved one, but you pressed on strong, never giving up. You're grace and determination are an inspiration to us all. Thank you." He smiled, getting a tight hug from Summer in the process.

"Thank you, Colonel Truman. It was all worth it to make it here." She answered. When she looked into the audience, she saw her mother and father clapping proudly for her. They knew this was the life she had chosen, and she made the right choice. To them, she had grown so much in this past year, from spoiled rich girl, to world saving hero.

As the Colonel wrapped the next medal around the Green Ranger's neck, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Ziggy Grover…" he began with a happy shake of his head. "your optimism and humor gave this team what it needed to make it through what hard times it had. You brought happiness and laughter to all of us, and we will never forget it. Thank you for helping us laugh along this difficult road." He said happily.

As he went for a handshake, Ziggy pulled him in and slapped him playfully on the back. "No prob, Colonel. I knew my shadow puppets would serve _some_ sort of purpose. Maybe I'll open a show…" he began, but was stopped when he saw Doctor K, or who he knew as Rose Mary, applauding him. It meant more to him than the entire park clapping, and before he knew it, his cheeks were blushed.

Truman pulled out two medals for his next recipients. Gem and Gemma were locked in arms with one another, and he was right in assuming that, since they did everything else together, they would want to do this together too.

"Gem and Gemma—you two are a rare find. Your courage and eagerness pushed this team when they were down the most. You're sense to never give up helped get us where he are today, and we thank the two of you greatly." He thank them, slipping the medals around their necks one after the others. They looked at the medals happily and gave one another a high five.

"We did it, Gem!" Gemma said happily.

"We sure did, Gemma!" he answered, and the two hugged one another tightly, then became infatuated with their medals once more.

The last medal in the box was meant for none other than Dillon. Colonel Truman wrapped the medal around the Black Ranger's neck and stood there for a moment in what seemed to be in awe.

"Ranger Black—or should I say Dillon Caine, you have certainly have had your moments of strife along this road, even you and I have fought here and there, but we all got through it and you've turned out to be one of the most important members of this team. Without your infiltrating and valor, we would all be under Venjix's control today. So I, and this entire city thank you for putting your life on the line for us, not to mention a fellow ranger. You are a true Power Ranger." He told him with a proud smile and a nod, extending his hand for Dillon to shake.

Dillon stood there with a grin on his face for a moment, looking at the Colonel's hand. He just pushed it aside and hugged him with a pat on the back to finish. "Thank, Colonel Truman. I would do it all again." He said. With that, he looked down in the audience and saw Terra clapping proudly for her brother. He just winked back at her—this is what he wanted all along—a happy life.

After all the rangers were given their medals, Truman stepped aside, he pulled a large bouquet of white roses from the podium and handed them to Doctor K. She took them in surprise and a beaming smile spread across her face.

"This is for all you've done to help the rangers. I'm sure we all know we wouldn't have made it anywhere without your help and guidance. You have done so much to help the rangers and can never thank you enough for all you've done for them and us. So, thank you Rose Mary Knox, we are eternally grateful." He thanked her with a small salute.

Rose took the flowers and looked at Truman and the rangers. "It was my honor to help you. And if you don't mind I would like to thank _you _all for giving me something I never thought I could find." She said softly.

"Really?" Colonel Truman asked in surprise. "What's that?"

"Friends." She answered simply.

Truman just grinned and nodded at her. "No problem." He answered kindly. He then made his way back to the podium for one final say. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Power Rangers!" he said once more, he and the audience once again giving them a round of applause. This was the rangers proudest moment and they decided to enjoy it to the fullest.

XXX

After the ceremony was over, there was a party. A chance for the rangers to relax and for the citizens to thank them personally for all they had done. Music played all around which made for couples dancing here and there. Scott and Terra held one another close on the dance floor, swaying the music.

"You really look beautiful." Scott told her, commenting on her long, eggplant colored gown.

Terra blushed shyly and smile. "Thank you, Scott." She answered.

"Can I ask you something?" he said, looking at her.

"Sure." She answered, awaiting his question. She was curious as to what he had on his mind.

"What made you want Dillon to go through with getting his old memories back? I thought you would want the brother that you'd always known back in your life?" he asked.

Terra smiled at his question, much to Scott surprise. He thought this answer would be something that made her feel remorseful, he was relieved to see her so happy. "I guess…" she began, "I couldn't take away how Summer and Dillon felt for one another." She answered.

"Why?" Scott asked her next.

"Because I feel the same way about someone myself." She answered softly. And the next thing Scott knew, her lips were on his, and the two kissed softly as they danced. The two felt as if they were floating on a cloud.

"I guess that pretty much sums it up." Scott said with a chuckle, with a nod from Terra. As the two continued their dance, a thought hit Terra's mind.

"Hey, did you ever find out who Marcus came to this with?" she asked in curiosity. Scott didn't answer, he just titled his head in his brother's direction, and there she saw Marcus slow dancing with General Vasquez. She giggled happily when she saw them together. "I never would have guessed." She smiled, shaking her head. "There a cute couple."

She then felt Scott pull her playfully towards him. "Not as cute as us." He said, spinning her around and around, causing her to laugh in content. This was the most fun she had ever remembered having. She enjoyed herself as Scott twirled her around the dance floor.

Meanwhile, at the desert table, Ziggy was digging into a large slice of cake while Rose nibbled on a small piece of her own. She watched Ziggy lovingly as he devoured his treat and sighed in content. When he realized she was watching him, he stopped and looked up at her with his cake covered face.

"Want some?" he asked with a full mouth, holding his plate up to her.

She couldn't resist, she pushed the plate into his face, only covering his face more with icing and cake. She laughed loudly as she watched Ziggy wipe his face.

"I'm sorry.!" Rose said laughing breathlessly, "I had to!"

Ziggy couldn't help but find himself laughing hard as well. "Oh, really?" he asked in a sneaky tone, grabbing another slice from the table and aiming it at her. "You look rather hungry yourself." He said.

Rose covered her eyes, expecting to be blasted with cake, but instead, she felt Ziggy's cakey lips hit her cheek. She opened her eyes in surprise and began to turned beat red.

"And _I _just had to do _that_." He told her sweetly.

Deep down, Rose felt herself swoon. And next thing she knew she was kissing him on the cheek as well. And before she knew it, he was as red as she was.

Over on the swings, Gem and Gemma entertained the children by pushing them higher and higher.

"See how high you can go!" Gemma cheered them on as she pushed them.

"This is a blast!" Gem laughed while pushing a little girl on a swing.

As Gemma continued to push a little boy on a swing, she felt a hand placed on hers when she went to push him again. When she looked beside her, she saw Flynn standing there. She immediately felt a smile hit her face.

"H-hey there, Flynn." She stammered nervously.

"Thought I would see where all the fun was." He said with a smile and a wink. Gemma felt her heart skip a beat, and the three of them continued to push the children on the swings, even dressed in their best.

A little ways away, Dillon and Summer sat on the grass on a small blanket sitting next to one another. They each held a glass of champagne in their hands, just enjoying the warmth of one another's company. Summer laid against Dillon's arm which he stroked gently with his free hand. Just the faint smell coconut coming from her hair made him feel tranquil. And to Summer, just feeling the rise and fall of his body from his breathing made her feel happier than ever.

"I never thought we would be like this." She said gently.

"You certainly had every reason not to." He answered, kissing her head. "But this is nice."

"Let's make a deal." Summer said, sitting up to look at him, laying her glass next to her and taking his from him, laying it beside her as well.

"And what's that?" he asked with a grin.

"No more life risking missions. We deserve a little vacation." She said, just so content to see the kindness back in his eyes.

Dillon nodded once and smiled. "You got it." He answered. Then the two began to kiss one another passionately. They lay back on the blanket and embraced one another. They didn't care that they knocked the glasses over, they just continued to kiss one another. They ran their hands together and rolled around playfully. After a moment, Dillon paused and looked down at her.

"I love you, Summer." He said softly, getting lost in her eyes.

"I love you too, Dillon." She answered. She couldn't believe that she was actually getting to say those words again. As the two resumed their kissing, they were interrupted when a small black ball hit Dillon in the shoulder. Before they were caught, they quickly stood before the owner of the ball saw them.

Dillon picked up the ball and looked at it, it was as if he had seen it somewhere before. Seconds later, a boy that looked about eight with a brown hair bowl cut and a black and white wolf shirt ran over to them.

"Sorry guys! Guess I kicked it a little too far!" he apologized.

Dillon looked in awe at the kid for a moment, he couldn't believe who it was. "Dillon?" he asked hopefully.

The kid looked surprised that this man knew his name. "Yes, but how do you—" the kid began, but when he got a full look at the Black Ranger he exclaimed in joy.

"It's you mister! It's really, really you!" he said, hugging Dillon's leg as hard as he could. The Black Ranger knelt down beside him and smiled happily. "My friends told me that you wouldn't come back, but I knew they were wrong! I knew you were my buddy!" he yelled.

"But…" Ranger Black began. "I thought you…I thought your entire city was destroyed?"

"No! My brother used to be a Power Ranger a while back, and he used what he knew to get us all out of the city in time!" Dillon told him proudly.

"So that older brother of yours that you gave me clothes from…used to be a ranger?" Ranger Black asked with relief. He couldn't be more relieved that this kid was okay.

"Yep, just like you! His name is Casey!" he said excitedly. "But don't tell anyone—it's a secret." He said in a whisper.

"You got it. Just tell him thanks." Ranger Black said, hugging the boy.

"Wait—you never told me your name!" Dillon reminded him.

Ranger Black paused for a moment. This wasn't a question he was used to. The last time he was asked, it changed his future—and for the better. So this was easy for him to answer. "It's Dillon. Dillon Caine." He answered with a smile. Summer just looked down at the two of them and smiled as well. She knew this was all Dillon needed to make his new life complete.

"Really? Dillon just like me!?" the boy asked in excitement.

Dillon nodded. "Yeah. And I never really thanked you for all you did for me." He said, removing the medal from his neck, and wrapping it around the boy's. "This is for you. If it wasn't for all you've done for me, I never would have made it this far." He told him.

The boy looked wide eyed at the medal in euphoria. "No way!! This is for _me_!??" he shouted.

Dillon nodded once more. "Thank you, Dillon." He said.

"You're welcome!! I have to go and show my brother!!" he exclaimed. As he ran off to find him, he stopped about half way and ran back to hug the Black Ranger's leg. He laughed warmly, and seconds later, the boy was out of sight.

"That was really generous." Summer said, gently wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm just glad he's okay." Dillon told her with a content sigh.

"Looks like we got our happy ending." She told him softly.

"We sure did." He answered, pulling her into another kiss. Behind them, fireworks boomed throughout the sky in all the ranger's colors. They finally had gotten what they had longed for since the beginning of their journey, against all the odds—a happy ending.

**THE END**

**A/N:**** Thanks so much to all who read/reviewed my story. It makes me happy to know that people enjoy my writing as much as I do publishing it. Thanks for not flaming, and I hope to have another story up sometime in the near future. :]**


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